NASA-Proof Mars was once habitable for microbial life

[Boothroyd]

JPL holding press conference now.

[salem65]

May have once been capable of supporting life, is really not much of an announcement for me. I will get excited when they find fossils or martians

[mannyv11]

I think it is very big news, especially to find out a planet so close to earth was once habitable. It's not about finding fossils to me its about figuring out what happened to mars (comet,asteroid, etc) and seeing what actually happened to mars to make it uninhabitable.

Also it gives us a real glimpse into all of the dangers of the universe and how a planet can go from flowing water and a potential hot bed for life to what it is now.

[conrail]

Originally Posted by mannyv11

I think it is very big news, especially to find out a planet so close to earth was once habitable. It's not about finding fossils to me its about figuring out what happened to mars (comet,asteroid, etc) and seeing what actually happened to mars to make it uninhabitable.

Also it gives us a real glimpse into all of the dangers of the universe and how a planet can go from flowing water and a potential hot bed for life to what it is now.

Very exciting to be able to actually, finally, make this confirmation.

[HRV]

Originally Posted by Boothroyd

JPL holding press conference now.

cheers for that didnt know

[bayerische]

WOW!

This is huge news!!!

[Boothroyd]

Essentially, this is what the Mars Curiousity Rover was sent up there to confirm, so for that alone, it has become a successful mission. Fossils of microbes..you may have to wait a few years for that!

[JohnBoy]

Microbial? Thanks a lot - thats where men supposedly came from!

[77T]

Microbial???

I thought they said Aerial evidence...

That they had found an Aerial that was evidence of prior existence on Mars...

And that when they find another piece of the puzzle they may be able to confirm the existence of...wait for it..
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[Cesium133]

Those Martians really clean up nice!

[Vincent65]

I'm no scientist, but I doubt any evidence of microbial life would mean that Mars was once a 'blue' planet with a nice sweet atmosphere, which would have made a plentiful and abundant home and playground for us to plunder and abuse, as we have with Earth. Or would it emphatically imply it was once 'habitable' for humans? I think not. Either way, it doesn't look like a good picnic spot to me now, and I'm fairly certain our own globe will look similar one day, whether we change our ways or not. It is just a matter of time...

[bayerische]

Even if Mars never supported anything more than Microbial life, it is still amazing big news.

This would mean Mars potentially had the recipe long ago to support more complex than microbial life, and definitely recognizes the need to further investigate Mars.

Fantastic news.

[Vincent65]

Originally Posted by bayerische

Even if Mars never supported anything more than Microbial life, it is still amazing big news.

This would mean Mars potentially had the recipe long ago to support more complex than microbial life, and definitely recognizes the need to further investigate Mars.

Fantastic news.

I agree it would be a very interesting and huge scientific discovery, of course. I wonder what further investigation may eventually reveal... I hear in the media that, apart from inherent curiosity and scientific advancement and the grand quest for 'answers', the primary motive is to establish whether it may one day be suitable for humans to dwell on, when the need to abandon Mother Earth - like rats fleeing a sinking ship - overwhelms! The virus spreads... poor old Mars

[Demosthene]

Originally Posted by Vincent65

the primary motive is to establish whether it may one day be suitable for humans to dwell on

I don’t think anyone besides sensualistic journalists are implying that.

[AzPaul]

Our microbes could beat up Mars' microbes any day of the week.

. . . . . and twice on Sundays.

[kilyung]

Originally Posted by Demosthene

I don’t think anyone besides sensualistic journalists are implying that.

While I'd love to meet some "sensualistic" journalists , sensationalist journalists are probably more common.

[Vincent65]

Originally Posted by kilyung

While I'd love to meet some "sensualistic" journalists , sensationalist journalists are probably more common.

Yes, I've heard of sensationalism in journalism!

[Vincent65]

Originally Posted by Demosthene

I don’t think anyone besides sensualistic journalists are implying that.

That's what I said! Having said that, I've also heard many scientists espouse on the notion that space exploration is partially to investigate the possibility of finding another home, and to further understand our origins. I'm certain I didn't dream it, or only hear it from 'sensual' journos!

[looking to buy]

I understand they found a photo of Jocke and the VTCguy hugging each other on the planet

[unclesallie]

I am from Mars...so what's the big deal?

[bayerische]

Just read theJPL press release... It seems as what has been found is Favourable condions for microbial life, not actual microbial life. Bummer.

[Demosthene]

Dam autocorrect

[gwozhog]

I'm not surprised. They say in physics that everything that is proven true here is true in the rest of the universe.

[Nycteris]

Originally Posted by Vincent65

I'm no scientist, but I doubt any evidence of microbial life would mean that Mars was once a 'blue' planet with a nice sweet atmosphere

Well, the primary reason Earth can sustain life is because our core is solid, with a liquid iron outer layer that spins and creates the magnetic field which protects the planet from the Sun's damaging solar winds. There's a few theories about the structure of Mars, with some scientists thinking the core solidified completely, or there's still a liquid core that's not hot enough to sustain a magnetic field though convection(movement of molecules in a liquid). Both theories conclude that Mars used to have a magnetic field which died off due to cooling of temperatures at the center and created the now barren wasteland. Unfortunately with our rovers and satellites, we can only explore a tiny fraction of the planet for some hard evidence of life.