specialist seeing signs of past life on Mars

[Ashyne]

I cannot imagine anything within my lifetime making me more excited than finding out the existence of life (past or present) beyond Earth.

[Podo]

This is really a very interesting discovery, and it is very unfortunate that Curiosity doesn't have the ability to take any samples. Hopefully we'll hurl something with more sample-taking ability up there in the next while, to try and get more proof of Martian life, be it past or present. The ultimate would be finding living microbes. Unfortunately, I suspect that even if we did find living microbes, there would still be people declaring that it isn't real.

[qxcontinuum]

As she says in her hypothesis, "But if the Martian structures aren't of biological origin," Noffke says, "then the similarities in morphology, but also in distribution patterns with regards to MISS on Earth would be an extraordinary coincidence." Of course. all she is offering is a hypothesis and she states clearly that "Further evidence must be provided to verify this hypothesis."

The Mars Rover 2020 mission that is being designed now can be tuned to explore strong hypotheses like Noffke's and give that final proof. If it is proved that life did once exist on Mars and it appears very much like microbial life on earth, as Noffke suggests, then let the arguments regarding panspermia begin in earnest.

Actually , by the way Nasa is functioning I can forsee the next Mars mission in 2020 scheduled to find life, establishing only what we already guessed upon past and present discoveries; which is there was life on Mars thriving in its oceans an tick atmosphere once had. They will discover components of past life, microbes and microorganisms perhaps a few petrified worms. It will likely continue to disregard enigmatic pictures and shells embedded in rocks or metallic looking alike structure since will not be the main mission priority.

Then after a few more billion dollars spent for this mission of course they will move up to planning another one with the question; how evolved Mars had been ? That of course it will be established by sending another few billion dollars worth rover in 2030 meant to conduct better analysys. After which Nasa will find that there might have been indeed complex evolved Inteligent life on Mars. Then the next few billion dollars Mars mission will be looking to find if there is still life perhaps hiding undergound where the oceans curently are. So they will send another billion dollars rover that unfortunatedly will never beam us back a response because it is too late and we have already blown ourselves up to pieces and create a Martian desert right here on Earth

Edited January 9, 2015 by qxcontinuum

[Merc14]

This is really a very interesting discovery, and it is very unfortunate that Curiosity doesn't have the ability to take any samples. Hopefully we'll hurl something with more sample-taking ability up there in the next while, to try and get more proof of Martian life, be it past or present. The ultimate would be finding living microbes. Unfortunately, I suspect that even if we did find living microbes, there would still be people declaring that it isn't real.

Curiosity has a whole lab on its back: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/instruments/spectrometers/sam/

The Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite takes up more than half the science payload on board the Mars Science Laboratory rover and features chemical equipment found in many scientific laboratories on Earth. Provided by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Sample Analysis at Mars will search for compounds of the element carbon, including methane, that are associated with life and explore ways in which they are generated and destroyed in the martian ecosphere.

Actually a suite of three instruments, including a mass spectrometer, gas chromatograph, and tunable laser spectrometer, Sample Analysis at Mars will also look for and measure the abundances of other light elements, such as hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, associated with life.

The mass spectrometer will separate elements and compounds by mass for identification and measurement. The gas chromatograph will heat soil and rock samples until they vaporize, and will then separate the resulting gases into various components for analysis. The laser spectrometer will measure the abundance of various isotopes of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in atmospheric gases such as methane, water vapor, and carbon dioxide. These measurements will be accurate to within 10 parts per thousand.

Because these compounds are essential to life as we know it, their relative abundances will be an essential piece of information for evaluating whether Mars could have supported life in the past or present.

[Podo]

Curiosity has a whole lab on its back: http://mars.jpl.nasa...ctrometers/sam/

The Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite takes up more than half the science payload on board the Mars Science Laboratory rover and features chemical equipment found in many scientific laboratories on Earth. Provided by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Sample Analysis at Mars will search for compounds of the element carbon, including methane, that are associated with life and explore ways in which they are generated and destroyed in the martian ecosphere.

Actually a suite of three instruments, including a mass spectrometer, gas chromatograph, and tunable laser spectrometer, Sample Analysis at Mars will also look for and measure the abundances of other light elements, such as hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, associated with life.

The mass spectrometer will separate elements and compounds by mass for identification and measurement. The gas chromatograph will heat soil and rock samples until they vaporize, and will then separate the resulting gases into various components for analysis. The laser spectrometer will measure the abundance of various isotopes of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in atmospheric gases such as methane, water vapor, and carbon dioxide. These measurements will be accurate to within 10 parts per thousand.

Because these compounds are essential to life as we know it, their relative abundances will be an essential piece of information for evaluating whether Mars could have supported life in the past or present.

I knew it had sciency equipment, but I wasn't aware it had quite that much. That's excellent! Thanks for tossing me the link

[Merc14]

I knew it had sciency equipment, but I wasn't aware it had quite that much. That's excellent! Thanks for tossing me the link

That's just one of several. Go to the JPL site and check it out. Curiosity has just recently reached its target site and is doing some incredible work and will probably still be trundling around Mt. Sharp when the next one comes barreling in for its specific mission of finding signs of life, past and present.

Edited January 9, 2015 by Merc14

[imrunningthismonkeyfarm]

It was a bit flippant. Things had to evolve first and there was life before. But I was mainly trying to point out it would not be a surprise to find some form of ancient past life on Mars....possibly similar to pre dinosaur life on here.., but there are no ruins of buildings, so an intelligent life like man did not flourish there before escaping to Earth, as some think.

Sorry mate but you're saying that like its a matter of fact?

Do you think Earths stone buildings will still be here in 100,00 or a million years time.. However long it takes, most things turn to stone eventually anyway don't they?

In England they say the earth builds up at the rate of 10 feet every 1000 years, obviously it varies a bit but at that rate they'll have to dig a bit deeper!!

[qxcontinuum]

what if life on mars ended 1.000 years ago?

[Merc14]

snip

Edited January 12, 2015 by Merc14

[CelticBanshee]

When we send up men we need to send up some archaeologists and paleontologists... That oughta do it!

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

what if life on mars ended 1.000 years ago?

What if it never ended and all their cities are invisible.

[Merc14]

What if it never ended and all their cities are invisible.

Makes as much sense as anything else since post #57

[toast]

what if life on mars ended 1.000 years ago?

Then there is no life on Mars anymore since 1000 years.

[qxcontinuum]

What if it never ended and all their cities are invisible.

Congratulations. You succeeded in disagreeing with a point that I didn't make!

[skookum]

Well I am still open to the possibility of life existing on Mars. It may still exist but be very simple and living way below the surface.

Finding fossils on Earth isn't easy, lots are found by accident. We have been to just a few areas of Mars with Rovers and landers with cameras. That is not enough exploration in my mind to write off the possibility of life never existing.

Imagine landing a rover on Earth, driving a few miles and digging down a few inches, doubt you would find evidence of the Dinosaurs.

[qxcontinuum]

Well I am still open to the possibility of life existing on Mars. It may still exist but be very simple and living way below the surface.

Finding fossils on Earth isn't easy, lots are found by accident. We have been to just a few areas of Mars with Rovers and landers with cameras. That is not enough exploration in my mind to write off the possibility of life never existing.

Imagine landing a rover on Earth, driving a few miles and digging down a few inches, doubt you would find evidence of the Dinosaurs.

they found it, was right there a few meters away from curiosity rover which was not curios to investigate more.

have you seen the Mars amonite pic before?

Edited February 20, 2015 by qxcontinuum

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

Congratulations. You succeeded in disagreeing with a point that I didn't make!

So you deny the curious lack of evidence of invisible cities,cwhich in itself is evidence of invisible cities?

[Merc14]

they found it, was right there a few meters away from curiosity rover which was not curios to investigate more.

have you seen the Mars amonite pic before?

First off that is not an animal fossil, it is a mineral deposit. Second of all, just what would you have a rover do with a fossil other than take pictures? Do you know what a fossil is?

Edited February 20, 2015 by Merc14

[qxcontinuum]

First off that is not an animal fossil, it is a mineral deposit. Second of all, just what would you have a rover do with a fossil other than take pictures? Do you know what a fossil is?

how would you know that ? Based on what ? Assumptions ?

[S2F]

how would you know that ? Based on what ? Assumptions ?

The same can and has been asked of you qx.

[qxcontinuum]

The same can and has been asked of you qx.

so don't you believe then the rover should have just been more curious approaching and take better photos, it would have eliminated assumptions made by both parties...

[Merc14]

how would you know that ? Based on what ? Assumptions ?

Based on what it looks to me (not a segmented creature) and what the researchers, who agreed with me BTW, thought it was. What are you basing your decision on?

so don't you believe then the rover should have just been more curious approaching and take better photos, it would have eliminated assumptions made by both parties...

What's wrong with the picture it took? It clearly isn't a fossilized animal, just look at the "segments".

Edited February 21, 2015 by Merc14

[S2F]

so don't you believe then the rover should have just been more curious approaching and take better photos, it would have eliminated assumptions made by both parties...

The experts (you know, the ones who have spent years gathering the knowledge they have and have forgotten more about this stuff than you or I know put together) concluded that it was a mineral deposit. What do you have that trumps that? If they say it was a mineral deposit then I say "move along, nothing to see here". Let them move on and find something actually significant.

[SolarPlexus]

http://phys.org/news...mars-rover.html

Yup its called sedimentary bioturbation ! Very nice topic. There was surely life on mars, we have extensive river topography, salt water and ice, now add traces of microorganism activity

Not counting humanoid statues, pyramids, giant faces and celtic crosses Lol !

[Merc14]

Yup its called sedimentary bioturbation ! Very nice topic. There was surely life on mars, we have extensive river topography, salt water and ice, now add traces of microorganism activity

Not counting humanoid statues, pyramids, giant faces and celtic crosses Lol !

I think there was life there as well, very basic life but life all the same but no one is going to call it (not counting qx and his ilk) until we have the right lab equipment in place to verify. It may take that next mission in 2020 to settle the question but who knows what curiosity will find in te next few months now that it has arrived in its target zone.