It's important to remember that the scientific principle is that a theory
proposed needs experimental data to back it up. Right now we have no direct
observations on the planet. We've had 2 scientific platform landings, but
neither were equipped to look for microbes. All the evidence so far is
in-direct. We're not even sure that the "riverbeds" actually had water in
them at any time. As we get closer to the actual hands on phase of Mars
exploration we will get better and better data.
--
John Gentile Rhode Island Apple Group
yjgent at home.com President
"I never make mistakes, I only have unexpected learning opportunities"
> From: "Albano Neira Navarro" <anena at eresmas.com>
> Organization: Internet Look Communications - http://www.look.ca> Newsgroups: bionet.microbiology
> Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 00:28:03 GMT
> Subject: Re: That wasn't the question
>> Simply philosophy has nothing in this kind of questions; maybe
> 'speculations' The only aspect of philosophy which is interesting here (I
> think) is the deductive pathway (maybe in this time it's not a philosophy
> charateristic but science)
> So, we should think: it's sure water flow in Mars (no doubt); it's extremely
> posible that, if there was water, there was life; if in Mars was life on its
> surface, the most posible kind of life was a mic life (don't you think?); if
> time ago some bacteries was swimming in martians seas, maybe, in martian
> water rests, are still doing it; as Mars has tectonic activity (only a
> little, it's true), and, on surface temperature is so low to have liquid
> water, maybe (and I say 'maybe') some place underground, near an active
> zone, exist rests of those old rivers and seas (that's not a crazy idea, I
> think)
> Then, I hope we are ok that if there's water, there're a lot of
> possibilities that we could found some kind of life, and the most possible
> is mic life.
>> And HERE is where we go on with our speculations, so, we should forgive
> philosophy and try to use our mic and geol knowledge to try to find a place
> on Mars cortex to look for that eventual life.
>> I hope with this post was clear what I try to find in this group: some
> ideas, some ways of think, but with a scientific base, not to say 'maybe
> somewhere out there is life', 'cause nobody doubts it (I think) I think
> that, if appropiated conditions are in a planet, life MUST to be there, and,
> the most important must to be water presence, at least for ways of life like
> we know, and there are not satisfactory models for ways of life based on
> different supports, so... yes, maybe in Titan or Io is life in their liquid
> ch4 seas, but what kind of life? We know a life based on water, and
> biologists are limited by this only know: we can only study 'one life':
> Earth's life.
>> Yes, no more boring. Thanks for your post, Judy. I'm a post degree
> biology student and I'm interested in exobiology, so it's needle to pass for
>> planetary geology, extremofilus, evolution, etc, etc...
>> Nice to hear from you.
>> * Albano *
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