Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Mysterious Martian "Cauliflower" May Be the Latest Hint of Alien Life
smithsonianmag.com ^ | 02/01/2016 | Sarah Scoles

Posted on 02/05/2016 1:23:16 PM PST by BenLurkin

The hunt for signs of life on Mars has been on for decades, and so far scientists have found only barren dirt and rocks. Now a pair of astronomers thinks that strangely shaped minerals inside a Martian crater could be the clue everyone has been waiting for.

In 2008, scientists announced that NASA's Spirit rover had discovered deposits of a mineral called opaline silica inside Mars's Gusev crater. That on its own is not as noteworthy as the silica's shape: Its outer layers are covered in tiny nodules that look like heads of cauliflower sprouting from the red dirt.

No one knows for sure how those shapes...formed. But based on recent discoveries in a Chilean desert, Steven Ruff and Jack Farmer, both of Arizona State University in Tempe, think the silica might have been sculpted by microbes. At a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in December, they made the case that these weird minerals might be our best targets for identifying evidence of past life on Mars.

If the logic holds, the silica cauliflower could go down in history as arguably the biggest discovery ever in astronomy. But biology is hard to prove, especially from millions of miles away, and Ruff and Farmer aren't claiming victory yet. All they're saying is that maybe these enigmatic growths are mineral greetings from ancient aliens, and someone should investigate.

(Excerpt) Read more at smithsonianmag.com ...


TOPICS: Science
KEYWORDS: chile; gilbertlevin; jackfarmer; labeledrelease; mars; nasa; opalinesilica; panspermia; spiritrover; stevenruff; xplanets

1 posted on 02/05/2016 1:23:16 PM PST by BenLurkin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

These guys are legitimate but they sound like face on Mars lulus.


2 posted on 02/05/2016 1:25:04 PM PST by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

The missing link between DNA-based life on earth and an earlier stage has disappeared from earth (as far as we can find), but maybe this is a clue on Mars.


3 posted on 02/05/2016 1:29:09 PM PST by MUDDOG
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

Or maybe not.


4 posted on 02/05/2016 1:29:39 PM PST by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

Hitlery: all the proof we need.


5 posted on 02/05/2016 1:30:20 PM PST by LoneStar42 (Turn right.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

Matt Damon leftover plants.


6 posted on 02/05/2016 1:31:19 PM PST by BipolarBob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

This is all part of a psyop.

Do not trust NASA or the JPL.


7 posted on 02/05/2016 1:45:32 PM PST by TruthInThoughtWordAndDeed (Yahuah Yahusha)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TruthInThoughtWordAndDeed

Because.....?


8 posted on 02/05/2016 1:46:47 PM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

If it ever is brought back to earth it will take over our bodies and we then will become Martians.


9 posted on 02/05/2016 2:04:08 PM PST by minnesota_bound
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ifinnegan
These guys are legitimate but they sound like face on Mars lulus.


10 posted on 02/05/2016 2:16:50 PM PST by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

I’ll investigate next time I’m in the neighborhood...


11 posted on 02/05/2016 2:20:03 PM PST by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: KevinDavis; annie laurie; Knitting A Conundrum; Viking2002; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Mmogamer; ...
Note: this topic is from 2/05/2016. See opalinesilica for more. Thanks BenLurkin.
 
X-Planets
· join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic · subscribe ·
Google news searches: exoplanet · exosolar · extrasolar ·

12 posted on 05/17/2016 9:07:18 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (I'll tell you what's wrong with society -- no one drinks from the skulls of their enemies anymore.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

Mars is dead and has always been dead. There are very specific circumstances needed for life to exist and Mars fails on multiple levels.


13 posted on 05/17/2016 9:11:57 AM PDT by DouglasKC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

The most important quote is near the end of the article:

“Having worked on modern hot springs, I have seen all forms of structures that look biological but are not,” Konhauser says. Silica can come from non-biological processes and water, geography, wind or other environmental factors can then shape it into complex structures. “Because it looks biological doesn’t mean it is,” he says.


14 posted on 05/17/2016 9:29:55 AM PDT by Moonman62 (Make America Great Again!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson