Viking robots found life on Mars in 1976, scientists say

[Tony_FLADEM]

New analysis of 36-year-old data, resuscitated from printouts, shows that NASA found life on Mars, an international team of mathematicians and scientists conclude in a paper published this week.

Further, NASA doesn't need a human expedition to Mars to nail down the claim, neuropharmacologist and biologist Joseph Miller, with the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, told Discovery News.


"The ultimate proof is to take a video of a Martian bacteria. They should send a microscope — watch the bacteria move," Miller said.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47031923/ns/technology_and_science-science/?ocid=todmsnbc11#.T4d7U4G6Xok

[xchrom]

1. I'm too sexy...wiggle, wiggle, wiggle.

Why do I doubt this as definitive? Nt

[DCBob]

4. Sure, its not definitive but this analysis lends further credibility to other evidence.

There wont be definitive proof until we see something wiggle in a microscope.

[Honeycombe8]

2. I was going to be excited, for a sec. Then I see that they are going thru old

evidence and finding something where nothing was found before.

I'm wondering if this has more to do with wanting their funding back. Which would be fine with me.

[derby378]

3. My skepticism gene is flaring up a little...

Was there life on Mars? Probably. Is there still life on Mars? I've heard weirder claims before. But I still need to see the evidence.

[roamer65]

5. In 300 years there will be life on Mars.

It will be what we bring from Earth.

We have no choice but to terraform Mars. Our survival as a species depends on it.

[longship]

6. Whoa! I am skeptical, but...

...in order to pass muster scientifically, there has to be more data. Fortunately, if this data passes peer review on their conclusions, there will be huge justification for sending subsequent missions to Mars to get more definitive data.

Furthermore, there is independent data that suggests life on Mars, if only microbial life. Mars' atmosphere contains methane, a highly reactive compound which probably is not stable, it does not last long in an atmosphere without a mechanism for generating it. So something on Mars is generating it. There are only two known things which generate methane.

1. Volcanism. But Mars has not been techtonically active for millions of years.

2. Life, most likely bacterial life.

There may be something weird going on there, but we know of no other sources that would give rise to the quantities of methane found in the Martian atmosphere. It is fucking intriguing.

The big, big question is: If life is found on Mars, is it like us? Or is it unlike Earth life? The latter would give us two data points in one solar system which would mean that life is probably common everywhere in the universe.

Cool shit! Can't wait to find out. I suspect that if there is life on Mars it will have a common origin with life on Earth. Why? Because Earth and Mars have been trading material for billions of years and bacteria can hitch a ride on an asteroid from Mars, and vice-versa.

Now if you found life on Europa, Jupiter's moon, that would be different because life on Europa probably could not survive the journey. Jupiter's gravity well is too deep.

Interesting shit!