[rael-science] 'It's 99% certain there is life on Mars': Shock finding as scientists re-analyse soil samples from Seventies Viking lander

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 15 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2555


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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2129152/Its-99-certain-life-M
ars-Shock-finding-scientists-analyse-soil-samples-Seventies-Viking-lander.ht
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'It's 99% certain there is life on Mars': Shock finding as scientists
re-analyse soil samples from Seventies Viking lander

Soil samples from Viking 1 lander which visited Mars in 1976
Mathematical analysis shows strong sign of organics
Samples had been dismissed as contaminated
'99% probability of life' claims one scientist

PUBLISHED: 08:08 GMT, 13 April 2012 | UPDATED: 08:49 GMT, 13 April 2012

In July 1976, the Viking 1 probe touched down on Mars and failed to find
traces of life - but now, three decades later, scientists think the
experiment was flawed.

VIking 1 did find evidence of extraterrestrial microbes in soil samples from
the Red Planet.

Mathematical analysis of the samples concluded that salts in the soil on
Mars 'threw off' initial estimates - and that the soil samples show strong
evidence of microbial life.

The new analysis looked for 'complexity' in the samples - an indication of
life. To the surprise of the scientists, they found it.

'This suggests a robust biological response,' say the researchers, from the
University of Siena and California's Keck Institute.

'These analyses support the interpretation that the Viking LR experiment did
detect extant microbial life on Mars.'

The reassessment was prompted by the discovery of 'perchlorates' in the soil
at the landing site of another Mars lander, Phoenix, in 2008.

The presence of the chemicals in Viking's samples had led scientists to
conclude the samples were contaminated.

The scientists behind the experiment remain divided over how conclusive the
evidence for life on Mars is.

Christopher McKay of Nasa's Ames Research Centre said, in an interview with
Discovery News, 'Finding organics is not evidence of life or evidence of
past life. It's just evidence for organics.'

'The ultimate proof is to take a video of a Martian bacteria. They should
send a microscope - watch the bacteria move,' said Josheph Miller of USC's
Keck School of Medicine.

'On the basis of what we've done so far, I'd say I'm 99 percent sure there's
life there.'

Future Mars missions may be able to settle the question.
The Viking 1 lander on display at the National Air and Space museum: Did the
craft discover evidence of life on Mars?

One forthcoming unmanned mission is the new Mars Science Laboratory rover,
called Curiosity, scheduled for launch in November.

The $2.5 billion nuclear-powered machine will land on Mars' surface with a
suite of 10 science instruments to try to determine if conditions are
favorable for life.

Another key Mars mission is scheduled for 2016. Called the ExoMars Trace Gas
Orbiter, it will carry five science instruments and will study gases in
Mars' atmosphere, including methane, for evidence of biological or
geological activity.

'The instruments on that atmospheric mission have a factor of 100 to 1,000
increase in sensitivity over what is currently available from Mars orbiters
or from ground observations,' said Mark Allen, Ph.D., who is the U.S.
project scientist for the 2016 Mars mission.


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WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its
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mean that I agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL"
means that I believe it is important for the people of this planet to
know about what people think or do, even when what they think or do is
completely stupid and against our philosophy. When I selected articles
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for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader was stupid enough to
believe that I was supporting praying to change the weather. So, when
I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic,
anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group
or religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I
support them. It just means that it is important for all human beings
to know about them. Common sense, which is usually very good among our
readers, is good enough to understand that. When, like in the recent
articles on drug decriminalization, it is necessary to make it
clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very clear: I support
decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed and sad
people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin
their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is
any change to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any
drug except for medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of
expression which must be absolute. That does not mean again of course
that I agree with anti-Jews, antisemites, racists of any kind or
anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies or the enemies of your
values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love and respect
of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher
Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to
the death your right to say it". 





-- 
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"Ethics" is simply a last-gasp attempt by deist conservatives and
orthodox dogmatics to keep humanity in ignorance and obscurantism,
through the well tried fermentation of fear, the fear of science and
new technologies.

There is nothing glorious about what our ancestors call history, 
it is simply a succession of mistakes, intolerances and violations.

On the contrary, let us embrace Science and the new technologies
unfettered, for it is these which will liberate mankind from the
myth of god, and free us from our age old fears, from disease,
death and the sweat of labour.

Rael
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WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its
full capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not
mean that I agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL"
means that I believe it is important for the people of this planet to
know about what people think or do, even when what they think or do is
completely stupid and against our philosophy. When I selected articles
in the past about stupid Christian fundamentalists in America praying
for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader was stupid enough to
believe that I was supporting praying to change the weather. So, when
I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic,
anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group
or religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I
support them. It just means that it is important for all human beings
to know about them. Common sense, which is usually very good among our
readers, is good enough to understand that. When, like in the recent
articles on drug decriminalization, it is necessary to make it
clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very clear: I support
decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed and sad
people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin
their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is
any change to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any
drug except for medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of
expression which must be absolute. That does not mean again of course
that I agree with anti-Jews, antisemites, racists of any kind or
anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies or the enemies of your
values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love and respect
of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher
Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to
the death your right to say it".