Guest Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Does anybody care? Can anybody convince me to care? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pong Messiah Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 I care. But to be honest, I've long been on the "Life/water/something interesting on Mars" train since forever, so it ain't no surprise to me.I, of course, blindly accept any and all biological explanation for these findings.My biggest concern is how much fuel, if any, the idea of water on Mars is going to provide the Nitpick Brigade when The Martian is released in 2 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Spam Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Matt Damon won't die! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driver Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 I miss people caring about space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Krawlie Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 I care! I've been wondering what the religious right will say if microbial life is found. Wouldn't that be as sure a sign of evolution (as if we really needed more) as could be asked for? I mean I'm sure they'd just say "God works in mysterious ways" or whatever. But still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest El Chalupacabra Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 WHO ARE YOU TO QUESTION GOD'S PLAN!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Krawlie Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 I'm not even trying to be confrontational, I'm really interested! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 I'm guessing a lot of denial, a lot of complaining about why do people care about life on Mars but not abortion, and a few young Fundamentalists will become atheists. Most will just ignore it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pavonis Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 NASA's "follow the water" approach has finally paid off. They found briny water briefly trickles across the surface occasionally. I'm not really surprised at all. The reoccurring linear features had to be related to fluids in one way or another. And the planet is chock full of evidence of fluids flowing across the surface in the past. Hell, the whole northern hemisphere is basically an empty ocean basin. If life of any sort were found on Mars, how would we know it was an independently developed ecosystem? If meteorites could carry lifeforms from one planet to another, how could we verify that Mars life wasn't just Earth life (or vice versa) that was just transplanted? Astrobiologists will have some work to do. Synthetic DNA has been developed in the lab; maybe other planets developed DNA that is different than our typical ATCG DNA. How alien can life get before we can't recognize it? Of course, DNA has a half-life of about 500 years. Getting it out of fossils is hard enough. Detecting it in rocks that might have, or once had, microbes in them is at least 10 times more difficult. Not to mention that the intense ultraviolet radiation that Mars is exposed to, and the perchlorates common in the regolith, organic material is unlikely to survive intact across deep time. I doubt "life" exists on Mars currently. Pretty much everything there is optimal for destroying organic material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tex Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 I really don't see what the big deal is. I'm not surprised that there was water on Mars and I wouldn't be surprised if there was once life on Mars. So what? Are we really going to dump trillions of dollars to go there to look for fossils when we have so much more to worry about here on Earth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest El Chalupacabra Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 If meteorites could carry lifeforms from one planet to another, how could we verify that Mars life wasn't just Earth life (or vice versa) that was just transplanted?Or what if it is a third option: both planets received from the same source? But I agree with you, if there is any life at all anywhere else in the solar system, not just Mars (though it is the most likely at this point), then I think it is at best, microbial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest El Chalupacabra Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 I really don't see what the big deal is. I'm not surprised that there was water on Mars and I wouldn't be surprised if there was once life on Mars. So what? Are we really going to dump trillions of dollars to go there to look for fossils when we have so much more to worry about here on Earth?Well, I would say the advance in technology in order to get there in of itself would be a good return on an investment for manned missions to Mars, but at the same time, I can't say I want to see $trillions spent. While I think this is very interesting, I am with Pong in that I believed there would be water found for quite some time. Since at least the Pathfinder mission, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pavonis Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 I really don't see what the big deal is. I'm not surprised that there was water on Mars and I wouldn't be surprised if there was once life on Mars. So what? Are we really going to dump trillions of dollars to go there to look for fossils when we have so much more to worry about here on Earth?Trillions? No. Hundreds of millions for more sophisticated probes, though? Sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DANA-kin Skywalker Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 May Uranus be explored with a hundred-million very sophisticated probes, Pavonis. I wonder if we will find any water there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pavonis Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I'm not really into anal play, Dana, but if you are, I'm happy to oblige. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burt Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Meme I read yesterday:Mars: I'm wet.NASA: I'm coming over. The money spent was worth it just for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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