Life on mars.

[Calin Leafshade]

So it's beginning to look increasingly likely that there has been/still is life on mars and the proof is likely to come within a year.

I was just curious what that means to the people here. Do you care if there was life on mars? Would you be interested if there was still active life on mars? Or dont you care in the slightest?

If there was life how would that affect your view of the universe and mankind's place in it?

[Chicky]

'Washington, Jan 16 (PTI) Is there life on Mars? The most intriguing question for everyone on the Earth would be answered by American space scientists by the end of this year, a NASA expert has claimed.

According to David McKay, chief of astrobiology at NASA's Johnson Space Centre in Houston, the fact that Mars has bred life will be confirmed this year and the historic discovery will not be made on the Mars, but here on Earth using the chunks of the red planet.'

Don't bring them here! Sounds like a bad movie, but what if they crack open the red rock and we all get sucked into a black hole due to some zany alien security system!

Madness!

[markbilly]

It's not going to impact on my world-view, that's for sure!

Interesting stuff, though, obviously.

For a minute there I thought you were talking about the amazing UK TV show, Life on Mars starring John Simm and Philip Glenister. Shame, because that was amazing!

[Calin Leafshade]

Also the existence of self sustaining methane clouds on mars suggest strongly that life is currently active on mars.. There are little green microbes living there right now.

[Anian]

Well there's life 11km under water, there's life at the edge of an acidic lake, there's life on the edge of a volcano...does that make a difference to your everyday life?

[jetxl]

If there's like on Mars, there will be fossile fual on Mars.

[Darth Mandarb]

I think if they can provide concrete proof of life on mars (even if only billions of years in the past) that it'll be one of the most significant discoveries in the history of man-kind.

Proof of extra-terrestrial life?  Can you just imagine?

Even if it's not the intelligent ones that fly over m0ds' house at night, it will be a game changer!  Hopefully then it'll get the lazy dolts in congress off their fat arses and spur them into action on the space program.

PS
Mark you know I love ya man!

[Calin Leafshade]

Well there's life 11km under water, there's life at the edge of an acidic lake, there's life on the edge of a volcano...does that make a difference to your everyday life?

No, but many people believe that the earth is divinely unique and that life was created here.

Doesnt make a difference to me.. i still think its awesome though.

The things i want to know:

A) how does it reproduce.
B) How is genetic information stored.
C) Does it have DNA/RNA.
D) Are we related or is this an entirely new tree of life.

[Dualnames]

Why everytime I read this topic's title , I hear David Bowie? 

[markbilly]

Why everytime I read this topic's title , I hear David Bowie? 

See my last post!

I agree, it would be a massive discovery. But it's one of those things that would be a massive discovery not for the technological possibilities, etc but just because of the concept. The concept of life elsewhere - wow. It would be a big thing for mankind because of our imagination, rather than anything else, which is great!

That last paragraph makes little sense on reflection...

[ddq]

If there's like on Mars, there will be fossile fual on Mars.

Can you say "Red Faction?"

[m0ds]

Great Bowie track! Don't want to challenge anyone's beliefs though just let you know what I think. The internet has never specifically said it but there is definitely life out there. I believe something has lived on or visited Mars, just like I believe there is more than meets the eye on the dark side of the moon. (Great Pink Floyd track!1)

It would be very exciting if NASA announced there was fossilised life but as always I get the impression they would hold back quite a lot of information at the same time, whilst leaving stupid subtle clues about the place like they have done for the past 40 years. I'm also concerned that the European Space Agency are involved with NASA and probably have to withold a lot of their findings, so I think the best confirmations, if they happen in the next few years, will definitely come from Chinese, Indian or possibly (but unlikely) Russian probes. But I don't know if any of those are going to Mars anytime soon, which means it's even less likely to come from them - and be all confuddled up nicely by NASA and the ESA in the mean time...GRR  



We all remember the face, seen on an image in '76. It was blurry, but clearly a face. And it was clearly a tall object/mountain not a flat plain with some bad lighting/shadows. Then in later years when they got better pictures, they "flattened" the face terrain, making it virtually impossible to see. But stretching it back with photoshop proved it was definitely a big face with all the secondary features. Much like the Indian Head on Earth (listening to both tracks mentioned above on iPod )...



The head on Mars seems artificial. As does the Indian, to me. I think the guy in the following video sums it up well, the odds of this occuring naturally end up 1 in billions. You have to do the research yourself to decide if you believe it or not, but here's a good introductory video showing some anomolies, including the 'glass tube' thing on Mars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uckjzS0Bj8

Yes you may well think you're watching a documentary about The Dig But if nothing else it does open up some questions about the historic past of Mars. To me it seems the planet was possibly once an oceanic planet like ours, great marine life and stuff....and quite possibly dinosaurs too...but that's just personal speculation

Anyway it would be good if they just came out with it openly and quickly, then perhaps people on this planet can start to shape up a bit and stop killing each other American government are so hungry for control they'd certainly get a lot from a confirmed statement like "Life on Mars". I don't understand why they haven't come clean about it or other governments don't jump in and provide the proof and become the first of a new type of government power. Oh no wait yeah, that would be a faithful government. How do we know this NASA spokesman isn't going to say; "Conclusively no life on Mars, or in our universe, except for us." ..

Hehe, right that's enough said and thanks Darth ha! I hope it IS the intelligent ones! Apparently there are fish people!  :o

[Stupot]

I have little doubt that there is life far more intelligent than us on some planet out ther somewhere, so a few microbes on our neighbouring planet isn't really that much of a surprise.  But still it would be pretty cool if they could confirm it, and it would led to a lot of well-deserved interest for our Red cousin, and as Darth suggested, could lead to a long-awaited manned mission to Mars which would be amazing.

[monkey0506]

No, but many people believe that the earth is divinely unique and that life was created here.

While others are actually religious followers who believe (according to their official religious doctrine) that there is extraterrestrial life and that the Earth is not solely unique in hosting it. :

It wouldn't change my day-to-day life if I knew there was life on Mars because I know there are lifeforms outside the realms of the Earth. I've never met one (to my knowledge) and certainly never had the probing experiences that Mark has () with them.

Even if my religious beliefs were wrong, I'd still say from a logical standpoint that there must be life elsewhere in the universe. Sure, (hypothetically) life on Earth happened entirely by chance. But we live in a universe of infinite size. In an infinitely sized universe filled with an infinite number of planets, there is an infinite possibility that life exists. Unless you're Douglas Adams.

1. POPULATION: None. There are an infinite number of planets in the universe, but only a finite number of populated planets. Any finite number divided by infinity is so near to zero as all get out. Thereby we can determine the average population of every planet in the universe to be zero. From this we find that the total population of the universe is then also zero...

(Probably mucked that up a fair bit, but it gets the point across methinks)

[ThreeOhFour]

In other news, there have been (unconfirmed) reports of possible life on Australia.

No word about whether they're intelligent or not.

I remain skeptical 

[markbilly]

Wow mods, you do love a good conspiracy, don't you?

I see faces in rocks when I walk past them all the time. And in pieces of toast. The human brain has evolved to recognise features of the human face easily, and we get confused. Far better see a face or a body in the shadows and run, than see what is really there (just some texture or other) and it turn out to be an enemy tribe leader! (reference: read some Dawkins)

I have no doubt that micro-organisms have/do exist on Mars and that intelligent life is possible elsewhere. But intelligent life landing on Mars and carving a big rock that looks like a face from one of Le Woltaire's games - hardly likely!

[Calin Leafshade]

In other news, there have been (unconfirmed) reports of possible life on Australia.

No word about whether they're intelligent or not.

I remain skeptical 

The weather conditions in australia are too extreme for life.

[Anian]

I just hope we don't run into some actual inteligent lifeforms, if people still think race is enough for violence, think what would difference in species do.    Besides, anything that happens, I won't reap any of the good results of it...might be selfish but still, that's a fact.
Conspiracy? Perhaps, I don't trust the people who say there are nor the ones that say there aren't aliens and stuff.
OMG ALIENS!!!!!!....okay, now what? Have they flown over my building and actually stopped? If I was an advanced race I wouldn't, bunch of primitve hostile monkies down here, what we need is someone similar to Cochrane (just to make us look good), but first we need WW3, let's get crackin'!

No, but many people believe that the earth is divinely unique and that life was created here.

People thought Sun revolved around the Earth, they were proved wrong...I still see churches around, not that much of an impact.

I'll admit, I'd like to see if for example that life is sulphur based. There's a theory that if there were different based lifeforms, the only element that has so many versions of molecules and similar properties is sulphur. Besides that, my reaction is - interesting...ok, moving on. I'm not the brightest or the richest or luckiest person in the world so I won't be sent to Mars any time soon and that alone makes me indeferent if only not to feel jealous.  

Final summation:  planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do *cue the guitar solo*

[Nacho]

Not a so clear face, Mark...

[Crimson Wizard]

I can't stop thinking about terribly bored alien teenagers on vacations.
Seriously... Look around. Highly-technological does not mean highly-enlightened.