[X] My Assistant

[ljk4-1]

Wednesday, May 10-12, 2006

Astrobiology Strategy for the Exploration of Mars

National Academy of Science's Keck Building

500 Fifth St., N.W.

Washington, D.C.

Meeting information here:

http://www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/meeti...?meetingid=1352

If you would like to attend the sessions of this meeting that are open
to the public or need more information, please contact:

Contact Name: Rod Howard
Email: rhoward@nas.edu
Phone: 202-334-3477
Fax: 202-334-3701

[ngunn]

Absolutely right. The question is do we limit what we mean by life (and contamination) to carbon based organisms? As others have long ago pointed out if in fact carbon based biochemistry never took hold on Mars that would make it the ideal place to test the clay theory.

IF the clay theory proves sound and IF indeed clays did start to evolve on Mars in the absence of the more high-tech carbon biochemistry then that raises numerous questions. The fossil remains of these evolved clays could be quite extensive across the planet, but would we recognise them? Are we even looking? What sorts of instruments should be used for the search? Have we already found them without realising what they are? How vulnerable might they be to contamination?

I hope very much that someone is onto all this, but I'm not sure if clay minerals specialists participate in Astrobiology conferences, or whether the equation BIO=CARBON holds. Issues on the fault line between academic disciplines can for this reason alone be all too easily treated as peripheral, even off-beat, in both communities.