Life on Mars?

[DrTeeth]

From Reuters

European Scientists Believe in Life on Mars

NOORDWIJK, Netherlands (Reuters) - European Space Agency scientists think that there was and could even still be life on Mars and want a new European mission to the red planet to take samples, a conference heard on Friday.

"Mars is the most Earth-like planet in our solar system," said Agustin Chicarro, ESA Mars Express Project Scientist at the end of a one-week conference during which scientists from around the world discussed ESA's Mars mission findings so far.

"Hints of life on Mars are getting stronger," said Vittorio Formisano whose team found methane and formaldehyde on Mars.

He said there was so much methane produced on Mars that there was reason to believe this had an organic origin. "Life is probably the only source that can produce so much methane."

On the question whether they thought there had been life on Mars, 75 percent replied in the affirmative. Asked whether they believed there to be life now, 25 percent said "yes."

This is extremely exciting!

 

[A_Wanderer]

Quite right, two sample points for life will be a great step forward however the greater issue of life in the universe will remain linked to two terrestrial planets that have swapped significant material over their lifetimes. If we can discover life exists/existed on both Mars and somewhere else such as a Jovian moon then I think that the plausibility of life being more likely than we though is going to be good.

 

[all_i_want]

yeah... wouldnt it be awesome if there were little people walking around? id just hope for their sake that they would have superior technologies or something, or we'd probably go there and kick their butts.

but then, theyre probably tiny cellular organisms.

which is no good reason to sit around and wait till they become a superior civilization, we must root them out now!

shock n awe!

on another note, i do believe there has to be some life somewhere around. i have this strange conviction that i MUST meet some aliens before i die

and everyone thought titan would be the one with traces of life. but no.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Oh great, a farting stinky life force.

Good one Dr Nick.

 

[A_Wanderer]

I want to explore strange, new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before.

An Australian paleontologist on Mars by 2025

 

[Angela Harlem]

Man should keep the bloody hell out of space. Seriously.

 

[DrTeeth]

By the time it's 2025, "to baldly go" might be more applicable.

 

[A_Wanderer]

What bald by 39, I think not.

 

[Angela Harlem]

holy shit, i'll be 48 then.

*panic attack*

 

[Tania]

Refuses to calculate age in 2025

 

[U2democrat]

i'll be 38...maybe i'll be in the white house while you're on mars.

 

[melon]

I don't know if there's life on Mars, but looking at planets/moons like Titan, it shows that "random" planets/moons certainly have all the compounds necessary for life. It all depends, of course, on how far/close they are from a star.

Melon

 

[deep]

Mars or where ever


the universe is made of the same elements

there are life forms on other spheres for sure
good chance on Mars