Still More Evidence of Life of Mars

dirtyhank writes: "According to this article a group of Hungarian scientists have found another potential evidence of life on Mars. Apparently some groups of dark spots spread every martian spring. They say this could be caused by photosynthetic organisms."

Re:What gives

[Spootnik]

You submitted too early. Post at least 3 months after the original story was published and it will get on Slashdot.

If all you've got is a hammer ...

[geckoFeet]

... everything looks like a nail. "We cannot find anything else to explain it," said EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGST Tibor Gant. There are actually lots of seasonal changes on Mars that make colors and things - geologists and meteorologists have lots of explanations for them.

Tunnel vision

[isomeme]

"We cannot find anything else to explain it," said evolutionary biologist Tibor Ganti, a member of the three-man Hungarian team that believes it has discovered life on the red planet.

"I mean, yes, we considered deposition and stripping of lighter-colored dust in a seasonal cycle related to wind patterns, which is a common phenomenon on Mars. And of course we pondered simple soil darkening due to partial ice melting; I mean, that's obvious, right? And we'd have been silly not to consider UV-catalyzed changes in soil chemistry which would occur in the spring as the UV-opaque ice layer thins or disappears.

"But," he continued, "Who's going to give us research funding for any of those? Life is our only ticket aboard the ESA 2003 mission. So, in funding terms, we literally couldn't think of anything else."

Re:Evolution at its best

[Spootnik]

False alert, scientists found out it was organisms on the telescope lens.

What are they?

[norculf]

I hope they aren't trolls.

Their exciting new experiment...

[NoMoreNicksLeft]

These brilliant scientists also hope to use their data to answer an age-old question closer to home. In a similar experiment, they'll use the same procedure to try and determine whether there is really life in Nebraska. Asked why, they replied "It is the next logical step. For decades, americans and people elsewhere in the world have wondered whether there is anything there, or if it is just some abysmal pit in the middle of nowhere. We hope to be able to answer that question for everyone." However, the scientific community itself is somewhaat divided over the next endeavor. Dr. James Greely, of the Helsinki Institute of Xenobiology states "Forget the fact that they are wasting precious grant money in an envriroment that has been rather uncommon in the current political enviroment. It's inconcievable that grown men would waste their time seeking life in a place like Nebraska. Of all the unlikely places they might search, this has to top the list, [in] the universe [all] over. They might as well search for intelligent life in the Whitehouse. They've got just as much chance of finding that..." Until they publish their conclusions, though, the world will have to wait. And wonder.

Re:Evolution at its best

[chabotc]

Actualy i would call this evolution at its worst. In 2 billion years, you'd expect them to -evolve' wouldn't you? Compare it to what happened on this planet in 2 billion years... my god, those martians must be lazy ;-)

Re:What about the girl with the mousy hair?

[Alien54]

if we find life on Mars, we will never be able to colonise it. Expanding the human experience beyond the shores, the gravity well of this puny Earth requires a virgin territory. But if Mars is soiled with life, we cannot infect it with out own, for that would be interstellar ecocide.

So we commit planetary suicide becuase we are afraid to contaminate a few lichens?

This is lunacy of the highest order.

Now we should check it out to make sure there are no instellar cruisers or bases under that sand. Don't want to piss off the neighbors, especially if they are better armed.

Besides, they have likely seen Our tv shows. No skeletons in our closet. We park them on the lawn to scare the neighbors.

[smile]

- - -
Radio Free Nation [radiofreenation.com]
an alternate news site using Slash Code
"If You have a Story, We have a Soap Box"

Blame scientologists

[Anonymous Coward]

L Ron Hubbard is on Mars, and John Travolta does not want us to know it. Tom Cruise would kill me if he knew who I was, blabbing this secret to you. I must post anonymously, or Kirsty Alley will club me with Pier One furniture and take me to Mars to confront Hubbard.

Re:What are they?

[billh]

I think my upstream provider might already be filtering .mars. I don't get any spam from them right now.

I'm probably also missing the messages that tell us why they keep shooting down our probes. Anyone have them archived?

Happens to everyone.

[Anonymous Coward]

It happened to me too.

I'm posting this as an AC cause even if I do HAVE a point, I don't want to lose my karma.