| Topic: |
Science > Physics |
| User: |
"habshi" |
| Date: |
26 Feb 2005 10:57:10 AM |
| Object: |
Proof Martians exist |
Martian gases pose life question
Why was there no life for the first half billion years on
earth ? Because the Martian rocks hadnt brought it here yet
bbc
Mars Express has been orbiting the Red Planet for a year now
An Italian scientist working on the Mars Express probe says gases
detected in the planet's atmosphere may indicate life exists on the
Red Planet today.
Vittorio Formisano told a Dutch space conference methane and
formaldehyde could signify biological activity.
But the cautious professor, from the Institute of Interplanetary Space
Physics in Rome, said only soil analysis on the planet could prove it.
Confirmation came through hard data, not "fantasy", he told BBC News.
"[My observations] should not be taken as a statement that there is
life on Mars today, because we need to go there, to drill the soil,
take samples, and analyse them before possibly concluding that life is
there," Professor Formisano said.
Possible sources
The researcher is principal investigator on the Mars Express Planetary
Fourier Spectrometer (PFS).
The instrument is designed to determine the composition of the Martian
atmosphere, and was able to confirm the presence in the Martian "air"
last March of small quantities of methane.
The observation is fascinating because the gas is short-lived; it is
broken down by sunlight, and should not be detectable unless it is
being constantly replenished in some way.
The conservative view is that the source is geological - volcanic
processes may be producing the gas, although active signs of this have
yet to be observed. There may also be large reserves in the Martian
soil of ancient methane-ice, so-called clathrates, which are slowly
melting and releasing the gas into the atmosphere.
But there is also the theory that microbes are responsible. Some
micro-organisms on Earth, known as methanogens, produce methane as a
waste product and a number of scientists argue similar lifeforms could
exist on the Red Planet, too.
Overlapping areas
Professor Formisano expressed his views on the subject at the European
Space Agency's Mars Express Science Conference in Noordwijk.
He said that if the methane was considered in isolation, it appeared
too small a source to be biogenic in origin.
Murray and his team have seen features that look like fractured ice
floes
However, he argued, if the formaldehyde detected in the atmosphere was
viewed as a byproduct of the oxidation of methane, it would imply much
more methane was being produced each year - and this could be
explained by life more easily.
"If you consider only methane which is observed in the Martian
atmosphere, it would be 150 tonnes a year; if you consider
formaldehyde then you have 2.5 million tonnes [of methane] per year,
which is much more," he said.
"And the correlation indicates the sources are in the soil,
underground."
PFS data shows that the highest concentrations of methane overlap with
the areas where water vapour and underground water-ice are also
concentrated.
Recent events
One of these areas includes the equatorial Elysium region, where Mars
Express scientists think they may have seen pack ice covered by a thin
"lag" of dust and volcanic ash.
The researchers told the meeting earlier this week that a vast
upwelling of water could have broken through a series of fractures
known as the Cerberus Fossae, flooding an area about 800km by 900km,
to a depth of about 45m.
And this was probably a very recent event, said Professor John Murray,
from the Open University, UK.
"This was around five million years [ago]. That may sound old but in
geological terms that is yesterday," he told BBC News.
"We know that these eruptions have occurred throughout Mars'
geological history. The fact that they occurred just five million
years ago essentially tells us we have vast reservoirs of liquid water
beneath the surface today.
"Therefore, if life can develop that is where you are going to find
it."
A paper detailing the pack ice discovery will appear next month in the
prestigious scientific journal Nature. A paper discussing formaldehyde
was submitted to Nature by Professor Formisano but was rejected by
"one referee out of three", the Rome scientist said.
And some researchers point out that the area of the spectrum in which
formaldehyde appears in the PFS data coincides with an area of
significant interference from solar radiation.
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Proof Martians exist |
26 Feb 2005 11:04:09 AM |
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In sci.physics habshi <habshi@anony.com> wrote:
Martian gases pose life question
Why was there no life for the first half billion years on
earth ? Because the Martian rocks hadnt brought it here yet
bbc
^^^
Maybe if you turned off the TV and cracked a few books you wouldn't
spout so much ignorant nonsense.
<delete 112 lines of TV "science">
--
Jim Pennino
Remove -spam-sux to reply.
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| User: "Uncle Al" |
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| Title: Re: Proof Martians exist |
26 Feb 2005 01:16:41 PM |
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habshi wrote:
Martian gases pose life question
[snip]
Stooopid wog sniffs own farts. Pictures at eleven,
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/sunshine.htm
--
Uncle Al
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/
(Toxic URL! Unsafe for children and most mammals)
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/qz.pdf
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| User: "habshi" |
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| Title: Re: Proof Martians exist |
26 Feb 2005 02:26:18 PM |
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India is getting so rich , Hillary wants the money .Its time
the Yanks improved their science education or they will become hewers
of wood and drawers of water.
India should up investment in US: Hillary
Times of India, India - 3 hours ago
.... Hillary Clinton on Saturday urged Indian industries to invest more
in her country to help prevent negative feelings over outsourcing of
American jobs to India. ...
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Proof Martians exist |
26 Feb 2005 06:35:21 PM |
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In sci.physics habshi <habshi@anony.com> wrote:
India is getting so rich , Hillary wants the money .Its time
the Yanks improved their science education or they will become hewers
of wood and drawers of water.
The Yanks already have flush toilets and sewage systems. When is India
going to get some.
India should up investment in US: Hillary
Times of India, India - 3 hours ago
... Hillary Clinton on Saturday urged Indian industries to invest more
in her country to help prevent negative feelings over outsourcing of
American jobs to India. ...
Most people I know concider Hillary Clinton only slightly less ignorant
that you, TV boy.
--
Jim Pennino
Remove -spam-sux to reply.
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| User: "Gulshan Khan wada-Sain" |
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| Title: Re: Proof Martians exist |
26 Feb 2005 02:57:13 PM |
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On Sat, 26 Feb 2005 20:26:18 GMT, (habshi) wrote:
India is getting so rich , Hillary wants the money .Its time
the Yanks improved their science education or they will become hewers
of wood and drawers of water.
India should up investment in US: Hillary
Times of India, India - 3 hours ago
... Hillary Clinton on Saturday urged Indian industries to invest more
in her country to help prevent negative feelings over outsourcing of
American jobs to India. ...
Moron, Indian media also said Pak will be a failed state per CIA when
there is no such report by CIA.. It also said an Indoo boy tops NASA
exam only to change the story when NASA blew the cover it also said
India is a knowledge superpower and an unrivaled superpower..LMAO....
India should first invest in sanitation and build few toilets so you
don't have to ***** all over each other and you don't have to run to
the middle east to clean toilets....
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| User: "Morituri-|-Max" |
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| Title: Re: Proof Martians exist |
26 Feb 2005 03:49:03 PM |
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You don't know enough to have an opinion on anything, especially politics or
science.
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