Scientist Says NASA Killed Martian Life

[matcom]

<snip>

WASHINGTON -- What if there was life on Mars, but the space probes that were sent to look for it didn't recognize it?

Or worse, what if they killed it?

One scientist thinks that may have happened. He theorizes that two NASA probes that visited Mars 30 years ago may have stumbled upon alien microbes and inadvertently killed them.

He is making the case in a paper presented to the American Astronomical Society, meeting in Seattle.

He said the Viking space probes of 1976 and 1977 were looking for Earth-like cells with salt water as the internal liquid. But in the cold, dry conditions of Mars, life could have evolved with an internal mix of water and hydrogen peroxide.

He said the Viking probes wouldn't have noticed hydrogen peroxide-based life -- and could have killed it by drowning and overheating the microbes.

http://www.wftv.com/technology/10690265/detail.html

[Little Wing]

1. No, silly

They killed God! How do you think he watches us? Or, watched us?

[matcom]

2. I KNEW this was God!

[YankeyMCC]

3. Opps

[underpants]

4. You have destroyed the space modulatOR

This makes me very angry

(I can do that voice dead on)

[tigereye]

6. UP, why am I not surprised?

he he

[Yavin4]

5. We Have A Limited Definition of Life

Who's to say that life does indeed exist on other planets, but it's just not OUR definition of life?

At one point in our own human history, people of color were not regarded as human.

[edbermac]

8. Mars Needs Women!

[jobycom]

7. This story is more vague than Bush's definition of victory.

Is the scientist saying we killed all life on Mars? Is he saying it is only theoretically possible we killed some life on Mars? Is he saying he has evidence it happened, or only that it's possible?

I've given Fs on better written papers than this.