Search for ancient Martian life continues (25% of Magnetite in Meteorite produced by bacteria)

NASA News Release ^ | August 4, 2002

[John H K]

Kind of a weird generic unexciting headline, stuff in parenthesis mine (and actually describes the article.)

[Southack]

"A biosignature is a physical and/or chemical marker of life that does not occur through random processes or human intervention."

Man, some scientist/reporter is about to be out of a job. It is not permitted for people to publicize statements that imply that Life (or a signature of life) needs something besides unintelligent random processes in order to form...

[boris]

I have strong doubts. Seems like they just won't let go.

My own guess is that there was never life on Mars; however I am prepared to be surprised by evidence to the contrary--which is not provided in this article.

--Boris

[longshadow]

Magnetotactic ping

[MHGinTN]

Am I remembering incorrectly when I think I learned that Mars doesn't actually have a magnetic field like Earth's? Why would the bacteria that use a 'compass' mechanism aligned magnetite if there were no field to exploit?

[VaBthang4]

"Search for ancient Martian life continues"

Excuse for not accepting that we are the one and only children of God, and the height of his creative hand continues.

[pyx]

In the latest study of a 4.5 billion-year-old Martian meteorite

I don't seem to recall reading the news of the launch of a probe to Mars and its return to Earth with this "meteorite". < /so >

[RightWhale]

Magnetotactic bacteria

Assuming there are such magnetotactic bacteria on Mars, or were a few ages ago.

[Nebullis]

This may be of interest after recent conversations.

[RightWhale]

Why would the bacteria that use a 'compass' mechanism aligned magnetite if there were no field to exploit?

Checked my Boy Scouts compass. It has a North, an East, a West, and a South, but no Food. Still wondering how bacteria use magnetite to find food whether there is a magnetic field or not.

[aimhigh]

The baseball player that threw that rock to earth must have had quite a pitching arm.

[Blood of Tyrants]

This has got to be one of the most stupid things that people have ever fallen for. Scientists find a rock in Antartica and say, "Gee, this here rock fell from Mars four and a half billion years ago", as if they had some kind of time machine that showed that rock being hurtled inot space and landing on earth AND PEOPLE BELEIVE THEM! If this is evidence of life on other planets, then call me a skeptic because I think it is crap.

[Senator Pardek]

The food is Fe.

[MHGinTN]

Okay, but what of the 'field' on Mars?

[Senator Pardek]

No need for a field, I suppose. Magnetite directs the bacteria to the free Fe in the soil.

[RightWhale]

If their food is iron, they would be called ferrophores. Is that all they eat?

"Would you like ketchup with that?"

[Senator Pardek]

I suppose the older bacteria scoff at the idea of taking Geritol.

[MHGinTN]

... from the article: Magnetotactic bacteria, which occur in aquatic habitats on Earth, arrange magnetite crystals in chains within their cells to make compasses, which help the bacteria locate sources of food and energy... I'm lost now, so I'm climbing back up on the porch.

[Senator Pardek]

I believe that means local/personal compasses - the way a magnetized bar attracts iron filings, regardless of the earth's magnetic field.

[Doctor Stochastic]

It's not hard to tell if a meteorite came from Mars. I could do it myself for a few kilobucks. (Assuming anyone would let me have the rock itself.)