Martian soil may contain life, ...or maybe not |
Martian soil may contain life, ...or maybe not |
Aug 23 2007, 09:27 PM
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The Poet Dude Group: Moderator Posts: 5551 Joined: 15-March 04 From: Kendal, Cumbria, UK Member No.: 60 |
Sounds like the presentation went down very well, congrats Doug! (well worth downloading the slides too everyone, by the way...)
On a slightly different subject, wonder how many of you have come across this yet..? "Martian soil might contain life" Offered without comment or opinion, just wondered if anyone had seen it... reckon it'll be all over the news tomorrow. -------------------- |
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Aug 28 2007, 02:41 PM
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8784 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Interesting speculations, oDoug.
Beginning to think that the next Flagship to Mars (after MSL) needs to be chock full o' microscopes & culture solutions, from straight optical all the way down to a miniaturized SEM. Let's settle this once and for all. If there is Martian microbial life, and if its either extremophilic in a way that's hard for us to encourage growth and/or is significantly different from terrestrial life biochemically, then direct detection of individual bugs rather than indirect chemical analyses of candidate biological byproducts seems like the only possible strategy to avoid these "ifs". -------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Aug 29 2007, 03:48 AM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 599 Joined: 26-August 05 Member No.: 476 |
Beginning to think that the next Flagship to Mars (after MSL) needs to be chock full o' microscopes & culture solutions, from straight optical all the way down to a miniaturized SEM. While not an SEM and with limitations on the field size, the AFM on Phoenix should provide some interesting views at um scales. Not enough to see nanobacteria fossils, though. http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/polar2006/pdf/8047.pdf |
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