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Do we finally have proof of life on Mars?
www.dailymail.co.uk ^ | Updated: 13:36 EST, 16 December 2014 | By Jonathan O'Callaghan

Posted on 12/16/2014 11:00:01 AM PST by Red Badger

Unexplained methane spikes suggest bacteria is living on the red planet

Nasa scientists in California have revealed evidence for life on Mars They say methane spikes on the planet could be produced by bacteria And, at the moment, there is no better explanation for the spikes The signs were spotted briefly occurring by one of Curiosity's instruments Life is the chief producer of methane on Earth, although there are many non-biological processes that can also generate the gas But no such process could be ruled out during tests - suggesting there may be bacteria living on or under the surface of Mars In the past few months, conclusive evidence has been found that Mars once had water on its surface, but one greater question remains: Was there, or is there still, life on Mars as well?

Scientists may be on the brink of answering that question with an equally conclusive 'yes', as convincing evidence has been detected by Nasa's Curiosity rover.

An instrument on the rover identified spikes of methane that scientists believe may have come from bacteria-like organisms on the surface - and it could be the first alien life ever detected.

Previous satellite observations have detected unusual plumes of methane on the planet.

But none of these previous readings are as extraordinary as the sudden 'venting' measured at Gale Crater, where evidence suggests water once flowed billions of years ago.

Curiosity landed in the 96 mile-wide (154km) crater in August 2012 and has been exploring the region ever since.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Education; Religion; Science
KEYWORDS: mars; methane; nasa; space
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To: Covenantor

The spice must flow...


41 posted on 12/16/2014 11:54:11 AM PST by Noumenon (Resistance. Restoration. Retribution.)
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To: JimRed

Or it could just be a spurious reading from their instrumentation. Mars has no protective ozone layer and has a weaker than Earth’s magnetic field. Cosmic rays and other radiation rains down upon it. They are taking too much for granted..................


42 posted on 12/16/2014 11:54:43 AM PST by Red Badger (If you compromise with evil, you just get more evil..........................)
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To: Noumenon

The Methane must flow...................gotta match?.............


43 posted on 12/16/2014 11:55:20 AM PST by Red Badger (If you compromise with evil, you just get more evil..........................)
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To: drypowder
lady claim to have visited Mars in the spirit

I wonder if Major Ed Danes can get that far.

44 posted on 12/16/2014 11:59:12 AM PST by MUDDOG
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To: bkepley

There’s a good chance you wouldn’t know what you were looking at in a visual-spectrum microscope if an alien microbe happened to turn up under your lens (there actually are microscopes). Consider the advances in scientific instrumentation which have occurred since the 1700s when the compound microscope was invented, especially those measuring chemical reactions. Chemical signatures can be much less ambiguous when they measure inputs and outputs from a biological process, even if you don’t know exactly what to look for when you design the sensors.


45 posted on 12/16/2014 11:59:52 AM PST by steve86 (Prophecies of Maelmhaedhoc OÂ’Morgair (Latin form: Malachy))
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To: drypowder

Must have been a Rosacrucian...........


46 posted on 12/16/2014 12:01:27 PM PST by Red Badger (If you compromise with evil, you just get more evil..........................)
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To: Red Badger

So a bacteria is considered life but a baby in the womb is just tissue. What a crock of crap.


47 posted on 12/16/2014 12:08:25 PM PST by rfreedom4u (Do you know who Barry Soetoro is?)
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To: caligatrux
Ah, the hubris of man. Just because we aren't aware of any other explanation means that there is no other explanation... at least until we discover another explanation.

Actually, thats what they are saying:

They say methane spikes on the planet could be produced by bacteria And, at the moment, there is no better explanation for the spikes

48 posted on 12/16/2014 12:16:05 PM PST by Paradox (and now here we are....)
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To: Red Badger

I’ve said it before, and it applies beautifully here: If there was a 1 minute old fetus on Mars, there would no argument that life existed on Mars. Therefore, a one minute old fetus is undeniably Life, answering the commonly asked question, when does life begin?


49 posted on 12/16/2014 12:20:23 PM PST by GreenAccord (Bacon Akbar)
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To: BipolarBob; All

IT WAS JULIE!

50 posted on 12/16/2014 12:25:08 PM PST by Rodamala
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To: Red Badger

Hey pull my retractable finger.


51 posted on 12/16/2014 12:26:41 PM PST by Cyman (We have to pass it to see what's in it= definition of stool sample)
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To: Red Badger

Yes!

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eZgD89VYkVc


52 posted on 12/16/2014 1:01:48 PM PST by Cowgirl of Justice
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To: Red Badger

I should learn to use the sarcasm tag. Next time.


53 posted on 12/16/2014 1:12:14 PM PST by wattsgnu
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To: Red Badger

Jupiter and Saturn must be TEEMING with life, with that methane atmosphere.


54 posted on 12/16/2014 1:13:35 PM PST by Cboldt
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To: Cowgirl of Justice

IZZAT a real brand? I’ve never heard of them.............


55 posted on 12/16/2014 1:43:07 PM PST by Red Badger (If you compromise with evil, you just get more evil..........................)
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To: Red Badger; brytlea; cripplecreek; decimon; bigheadfred; KoRn; Grammy; steelyourfaith; Mmogamer; ...

Thanks Red Badger, extra to APoD.


56 posted on 12/16/2014 2:03:23 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/ _____________________ Celebrate the Polls, Ignore the Trolls)
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To: Red Badger; SunkenCiv

57 posted on 12/16/2014 4:10:50 PM PST by colorado tanker
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To: Resolute Conservative
And it stays alive at extreme hot temperatures (above boiling point of water) and lows near or at absolute 0?

This little fellow can =>

"Tardigrades can survive in extreme environments. For example, they can withstand temperatures from just above absolute zero to well above the boiling point of water, pressures about six times greater than those found in the deepest ocean trenches, ionizing radiation at doses hundreds of times higher than the lethal dose for a human, and the vacuum of outer space. They can go without food or water for more than 10 years, drying out to the point where they are 3% or less water, only to rehydrate, forage, and reproduce."

--wiki

58 posted on 12/16/2014 6:56:49 PM PST by Ken H (What happens on the internet stays on the internet.)
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To: Ken H

Interesting. The area around the head/mouth looks a little man-made (like plastic) however.


59 posted on 12/17/2014 6:24:27 AM PST by Resolute Conservative
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To: colorado tanker

Thanks ct!


60 posted on 12/17/2014 7:14:40 AM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/ _____________________ Celebrate the Polls, Ignore the Trolls)
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