Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Martian Rock 'Does Contain Life'
BBC ^ | 10-23-2002 | Dr David Whitehouse

Posted on 10/23/2002 4:07:44 PM PDT by blam

Wednesday, 23 October, 2002, 17:04 GMT 18:04 UK

Martian rock 'does contain life'

Is this a fossilised micro organism from Mars? ©Nasa

By Dr David Whitehouse
BBC News Online science editor

The strange shapes seen in a rock from Mars that some researchers say are fossilised bacteria really are tiny micro organisms, say American researchers.

But while they are confident the Mars rock contains fossilised life they cannot quite bring themselves to say it comes from the Red Planet, it might be Earthly contamination.

Despite the uncertainty about their origin establishing that the small structures really were living things, and not just mineral globules, would be an advance in a field that has sharply divided opinions.

Lawrence Taylor of the University of Tennessee told BBC News Online that so-called "nannobacteria" found on Earth resemble those found in the Mars rock." The next task is to find a way to determine if they really came from Mars.

Life on Mars?

Since the dramatic announcement in 1996 by Nasa scientists that there were several lines of evidence that suggested rock ALH84001, picked up from Antarctic ice but originally from Mars, contained evidence of life, scientific opinion has been divided between those who wanted to be persuaded, and those who did not.

Nannobacteria seen in the Mars rock. © Robert Folk.

Since then the rock has been extensively analysed and many papers written, but few have shifted their viewpoints.

One camp has looked at magnetic grains in the microfossils saying that they appear identical to magnetic grains found in some terrestrial bacteria. Another group of researchers looked at indications of how carbon deposits in the rock were formed looking to see if they were deposited at low enough temperatures so they could be by-products of life.

whether these bodies originated on Mars, or are Antarctic contamination remains a valid question

Lawrence Taylor Univ of Tennessee

Rival researchers have argued that the very small size of the purported micro organisms make it unlikely that they were living things because they are too small.

In the past few years however some researchers, principally Robert Folk of the University of Texas, have put forward evidence that terrestrial nannobacteria do exist and add significantly to the Earth's biomass.

The latest study, by Robert Folk and Lawrence Taylor, casts doubt on the lower size limit for life viewpoint. Some of the larger bacteria found in ALH2004 are actually close in size to the smallest terrestrial organisms.

But if the case for the fossilised micro organisms in ALH84001 is strengthened somewhat the big question remains: where did they come from?

"We conclude that the nanobodies that are so abundant in ALH84001 are indeed nannobacteria. However whether these bodies originated on Mars, or are Antarctic contamination remains a valid question," say the researchers.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: contain; does; life; martian; rock
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-38 next last
I'm not sure why this popped back up in the news today.
1 posted on 10/23/2002 4:07:45 PM PDT by blam
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: blam
I'm not sure why some airhead claims a rock is from mars and everybody believes him
2 posted on 10/23/2002 4:13:47 PM PDT by freedom9
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BrooklynGOP
"Is there life on Mars?"
3 posted on 10/23/2002 4:14:12 PM PDT by Texaggie79
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Texaggie79
da remix
4 posted on 10/23/2002 4:18:14 PM PDT by BrooklynGOP
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: blam
. . . scientific opinion has been divided between those who wanted to be persuaded, and those who did not . . .

That's very nasty and unfair. There are a lot of people who wanted to be persuaded, but weren't.

5 posted on 10/23/2002 4:18:47 PM PDT by LibWhacker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: blam
Lawrence Taylor of the University of Tennessee

I guess there is life after football ....

6 posted on 10/23/2002 4:20:58 PM PDT by 1_American
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: blam
YEC skeptical bump for later reading
7 posted on 10/23/2002 4:24:24 PM PDT by LiteKeeper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Texaggie79
"Is there life on Mars?"

Where do you think Bill and Hillery Clinton came from?

8 posted on 10/23/2002 4:24:39 PM PDT by RadicalRik
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: freedom9
I'm not sure why some airhead claims a rock is from mars and everybody believes him

Is this the 3rd or 4th cry of "Wolf!" regarding life on Mars? Sorry, I know we are not allowed to question """"science""""........

9 posted on 10/23/2002 4:32:09 PM PDT by Dataman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: blam

10 posted on 10/23/2002 4:36:41 PM PDT by green team 1999
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dataman
I wonder, myself. Mars represents the bottom of a very deep gravity well, and the Earth is at the bottom of an even deeper one. How could a rock get from one place to the other, and how could it get there in such a manner that evidence of life on or in the rock was not obliterated?
11 posted on 10/23/2002 4:37:38 PM PDT by Oberon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: green team 1999
Which one is California?
12 posted on 10/23/2002 4:37:54 PM PDT by RightWhale
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Oberon
A rock could be blasted off Mars and get to earth 10 times easier than from earth to Mars.
13 posted on 10/23/2002 4:40:20 PM PDT by RightWhale
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: blam
nano nano
14 posted on 10/23/2002 4:42:21 PM PDT by aruanan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: freedom9
Actually, the origin of the rock is not in question. Several meteorites from mars have been identified
(from chemical and isotope concentrations).
15 posted on 10/23/2002 4:42:27 PM PDT by edwin hubble
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: green team 1999
Yes, we Californians are from Mars.

Don't tell anyone, Okay?
16 posted on 10/23/2002 4:42:53 PM PDT by null and void
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: RightWhale
What's shakin' in your neck of the woods?...
17 posted on 10/23/2002 4:43:39 PM PDT by null and void
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Oberon
I wonder, myself. Mars represents the bottom of a very deep gravity well, and the Earth is at the bottom of an even deeper one. How could a rock get from one place to the other, and how could it get there in such a manner that evidence of life on or in the rock was not obliterated?

A big asteroid impact will cause some ejecta to be kicked out into space.
18 posted on 10/23/2002 4:44:22 PM PDT by aruanan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: green team 1999
How much is the rent in Cydonia?
19 posted on 10/23/2002 4:45:00 PM PDT by TheHound
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: freedom9
Similarities between this meteorite fragment and remote Martian minerology sampling that doesn't match terrestrial examples.

Tantalizing. But the only way to really tell is to be able to return some samples directly from Mars. There are a lot of water-lain sediments there. It would be a geologist's, if not a biologist's dream.

20 posted on 10/23/2002 4:48:23 PM PDT by onedoug
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-38 next last

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
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

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