Scientists just found life on Mars!!!!

[Runamukk]

Here's the link:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... 133475.ece

What do you guys think the implications of this are?

[Will]

It's fascinating. Still, we don't know if abiotic processes exist that could have created the methane, so this evidence needs corroboration. Still, it's a really good piece of evidence.

[Asmodean]

I'm hesitant to jump to any conclusions... Don't other planets and moons in our solar system have methane in their atmosphere..?

[curiosityandthecat]

Wow.

(Insert doubtful scientific pessimism and rigor here.)

But... wow.

[Whitney]

Here's the link:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... 133475.ece

What do you guys think the implications of this are?

While it is cool that they have found out more information about Mars, it's not yet something to be overly excited about.  The methane could have been created by geological processes (even ones that are no longer active).  They are needing to do more experiments to determine if life is a possible source or not.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/ ... thane.html

[SSY]

Reported in The Sun? That alone makes me doubtful

However, this could just be amazing if its true, a totally seperate, independant form of life in no way connected to us. The universes own little reverse entropy engines popping up everywhere.

Did anything ever come from that meteorite from mars that NASA clamied to contain fossilised life?

[Ihateyoumike]

Reported in The Sun? That alone makes me doubtful

However, this could just be amazing if its true, a totally seperate, independant form of life in no way connected to us. The universes own little reverse entropy engines popping up everywhere.

Did anything ever come from that meteorite from mars that NASA clamied to contain fossilised life?

That's funny, because that's the first thing my brother said when I sent it to him. "The Sun, isn't that just a tabloid?" Yeah, but the link to NASA's website makes it less doubtful. Except maybe to someone who thinks the moon-landing never occurred.  

As for myself, I'm skeptical, but excited, because I would love to see PROOF in my lifetime of life elsewhere. It just seems to me by the sheer numbers, it HAS to exist somewhere else, in some form.

[SSY]

Oh I agree, the drake equation certainly predicts a lot of life out there, even with the most gloomy of inputs. Finding it on such a close planet, that was previously considered incompatible with life though, would drasticly change our view of finding life in the nearby universe.

If it was true, we would be 2/2 on finding life, thats pretty amazing when you think about how fragile life seems,

[Ihateyoumike]

If it was true, we would be 2/2 on finding life, thats pretty amazing when you think about how fragile life seems,

No kidding, and if we found life in 2 places in our tiny little solar system with life, it would seem that it would be vastly more abundant than anyone could have ever imagined.

How would the religious crowd spin that one, I wonder?

[Ninteen45]

How would the religious crowd spin that one, I wonder?

I can't wait to see Nasa on an expedition, only to find a missionary next to a pile of rocks!

[MariaEvri]

If it was true, we would be 2/2 on finding life, thats pretty amazing when you think about how fragile life seems,

How would the religious crowd spin that one, I wonder?

aw cmon we all know how
God/satan is tempting us XD

[Kyuuketsuki]

What do you guys think the implications of this are?

I think it's worrying that an atheist reads a comic ("The Sun").

Kyu

[karadan]

If it was true, we would be 2/2 on finding life, thats pretty amazing when you think about how fragile life seems,

No kidding, and if we found life in 2 places in our tiny little solar system with life, it would seem that it would be vastly more abundant than anyone could have ever imagined.

How would the religious crowd spin that one, I wonder?

Indeed. I see an image like this:



And i think how can there not be life out there?

[DennisK]

If it is true, what would be the probability of life on the other planets and moons in our solar system?  How would that change our current understanding of life origins?

[SSY]

Once we encounter aliens ( I am sure it will happen one day ), the religious crowd will have to face the fact that either god created them too, or that they are horribly, horribly wrong.

Also, I really hope we get over the whole religion thing before we meet martians, how embarrassing really.