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Life on Mars?
Over the last week or two, we have been studying what defines life. There has always been debate about whether life on Mars has existed or can exist. Read the following article: Mars organics get new lease on life by Ron Cowen.
What are the characteristics of life? What must all living things be made out of? What did the scientists discover? Is life possible on Mars?
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I do think that life on mars did at one point exist. Through the details in the article, the viking program could have misread due to the fact that it was a much older technology. another thing is is that studies have show that mars formed millions of years before earth. The ice at the poles shows that life could be sustained. The next explorer that goes out to mars, Curiosity, could bring back some evidence. My hopes are that the clues did in fact lead to life on mars.
ReplyDeleteIn the article, scientists claim that they discovered organic soil on Mars. This, they state, could prove that there is life on Mars but, in order for it to be considered life, it must contain the eight characteristics. These are that it is made of cells, can reproduce, follows the genetic code, can grow and develop during its life, has a metabolism, responds to its environment, maintains homeostasis, and evolves over time. I think that it is possible to have life on Mars. Some scientists say that the organic soil could have been brought there from a meteorite, but I disagree. Although the cold and dryness of the planet doesn't make for a very nice place to live, I still think that the soil represents a possibility that there could be life on Mars.
ReplyDeleteThe article states that it is possible for carbon-based life to exist on Martian soil. Samples taken from Mars in the year 1976 did not support the idea of easily living on the Red Planet. However, recent studies show that organic compounds may, in fact, have been found, though were previously unrecognized. All living things must be made out of cells, and must be able to grow, reproduce, and maintain homeostasis. The researchers do not emphasize the necessity of life on Mars; rather, they explain the possibility. I, personally, believe that although life on Mars may sound intriguing, it still isn't the best idea. Considering that Mars wouldn't support our Earthy lifestyle as well as our own planet does, I wouldn't want to move our human civilization to Mars.
ReplyDeletePersonally I think that life on Mars is possible but would need more time for both planets to change. I think that once we did live on Mars and then moved here thinking Earth was Mars but, it looked like Mars. The scientists say that there should be some sort of organic soil on the planet Mars. Which could mean there is life on Mars, but for it to be life it has to follow lifes rules(8 characteristics). What if lifes rules in Mars are different though? Could this mean that life is different on other planets? Life on Mars would be nice, since we are destroying this planet, we can run away to Mars. Hopefully, I will live to see that. :)
ReplyDeleteI think that there is or was life on Mars. I believe that there are organic chemicals. Because of the lack of technology in the 70s, I think the Viking missions were wrong in their results that there are no organic compounds on Mars. Due to the uncovering of recent organic samples, I think that there was at one time life on Mars.
ReplyDeleteWhile we have found Ice on mars and certain other compounds that are also on earth, there is nothing to suggest life other than the existence of the compounds that were destroyed during heating. I think that at one point life used to exist on mars. Yet, Mars has no atmosphere. It lacked the magnetism that Earth has, so it was not protected from the Sun literally evaporating it's entire atmosphere. This means every day Mars is hit by incredible amounts of radiation. Even if people were to try and colonize mars in the future, they would need protection at all times from the radiation dust storms that occur. The dust storms would clog electronics and machines. I think life did exist on mars long ago, but not sentient life. Perhaps while our earth was still in it's early stages, Mars was in the process of developing microorganisms. That, or the existence of Perchlorate in Mars' soil is just as much of a coincidence as both Mars and Earth having iron in them.
ReplyDeleteI belive that there was really life at one point in time on Mars. Even though Mars doesnt have an atmosphere and is not protected from the sun there still cant be life on it, for exsample plants and carbon breathing creatures.
ReplyDeleteI believe life on Mars was possible at some point. The new study showed that the data retrieved by the previous mission could have been altered before it was analyzed, changing the results. The organic compounds needed for life could have been destroyed as the craft landed. It is possible again that there were things on the planet with the 8 characteristics of life: if something can reproduce, grow and develop during its life, has a metabolism, is made of cells, responds to its environment, maintains homeostasis, follows the genetic code, and evolves over time.
ReplyDelete-Ted A. 7°
There was maybe a possibility that life could exist on mars.the viking says the results about the soil they tested it had organic compouds.these scientists didnt really notice they were there but now that there's more technology they discover more and more.i think that this article could give more imformation about the heat that destroyed the organic compouds.They need to find a way to matain the compouds.the characteristics of life is cells the way the systems works,cellulose,development how a body will react to mars.thats my thoughts and i wouldnt want humans to be living in space you dont really know if it will funtion right.it relates to class because we are talking about molecules and life also chemical reaction its relates alot to the article.
ReplyDeleteBased on this new data, life is definitely possible on mars. It may have been inhabited at one point, but all life may have died out, like earth's life did time and time again during the formation of life. There might also be more to this then we know, life may be underground based on what we've discovered. I have a quick question though. If these biological substances are the real deal, then from the DNA found in them, could we figure out what these specimen looked acted like?
ReplyDeleteAll living things are organic, and previously, we though that life on Mars was impossible due to the lack of organic compounds. However, scientists have found some organic compounds that they just didn't notice before. There really isn't that much organic material however and it's still in question. It also doesn't necessarily mean that there is or was life on mars. All living things are made up of cells, they reproduce, they grow/develop, they have a metabolism, they respond to their environment, they maintain homeostasis, they evolve, and they're based on a genetic code. Finding out all of these things about the possible life on Mars will be very hard. I think that at some point there was life on Mars, just a very long time ago, making it hard for us to find evidence of it.
ReplyDeleteBased on what they have proven, humans may be able to live on mars. Though it may be a good idea to do more research and possibly send a human so there would be no mistake or defults from the rovers or machines. As for life, I dont believe that there was ever life on mars but I do believe that we may be able to inhabit it (Only under the most desperate circumstances).
ReplyDeleteIf we were to live on mars there would still be a need of food, oxygen, and water as the main sources. Shipment may be very delayed though due to the distance. I would never want to move to mars anyway... Im happy enough here. :)
Rebecca K 6
ReplyDeleteThis article states the fact that researcher have found organic compounds in soil that could have possibly sustained some life on mars. I believe it was possible that mars could have had life at one point because it has or at least had at one point things like a atmosphere that could have protected life, or water, which is now in the form of ice caps on mars. mars had alot of the same things we have on earth now and its just a matter of time before we find out more about mars.
karla L 5th
ReplyDeleteI think that life on Mars is based on carbon, as it says in the article found a ship that traveled organic compounds are said to have brought many samples but if you still do not know if life as we think ay in September 6 there were many sore conclusions life on Mars but that many discoveries will be many doors to see if there is life on Mars. that's what I think of the article
Due to the facts given in the article, I believe that there was never life on mars. As it stated, the materials could have been brought to the planet from a meteor. That's not to say that there wasn't ever life on Mars. It is just that I don't believe it. Since we learned in class that all living things are made of carbon, and it has not been disproved that there is carbon in the soil, it is still possible that there was once life on Mars. Perhaps there still is, deep under the surface.
ReplyDeleteHearing about the facts the Vikings lanyard had discovered, and all the reasearch they have been working on now, no I do not think there has been any life forms on mars. So far. Although there hasint been any detection of life, I believe once they do another Mars trip that they will indeed solve more findings. Everything living is organic, and scientists have found some sort of organic compounds on Mars. This could lead to who knows what, and the question still remains. Can there really be life on mars?
ReplyDeleteOne characteristic of life is living things are organic. Just because organic compounds weren't found the first time, it doesn't mean they aren't there, the technology was very old, and could have been inaccurate. I believe that there could have been life on mars at one point, but the perchlorate could have destroyed any organic compounds in the sample. Also there is another possibility that there were no organic compounds on Mars. It was said that the Mars soil closely resembles the desert soil. It doesn't necessarily mean they are the same thing. I think that the follow up mission in November 2011 with the new technology will be helpful to find the real answers and hopefully nothing will destroy any organic compounds, if they are present.
ReplyDeleteIf this information set forth is actually valid, it will bring new insights to the world of religion, history, paleontology and biology. But as does every answer does, this will open doors to more questions than answers. That's why we advance so quickly. In almost any documentary of the possibility of life in this solar system, astrophysicists use an idea called the Goldilox zone. In this Solar system, Earth and Mars are located in it. That area means that the planets are not too hot or too cold, but just right for carbon-based life forms. With newer technology and tools, NASA has a much better time to clarify their results.
ReplyDeleteLife could have possibly existed on Mars, but I do not believe it and there is not enough evidence to prove it. The only evidence the scientists had for proving that life existed, was that organic compounds could have existed before the Martian soil was heated and collected in the Viking mission. To actually prove that something lived, the scientists would have to determine whether the eight characteristics of life were displayed on Mars. The eight characteristics include being made up of cells, being able to reproduce, having genetic code, having grown or developed during life, having metabolism, having responded to the environment, being able to maintain homeostasis, and having elvolved over time. All these characteristics cannot be proven, so life probably did not exist on Mars. One question I have that relates to whether organic compounds were possibly found on Mars is, couldn't organic compounds be created in a way other than through organisms?
ReplyDeleteWell i do think that at a time that there was life at Mars.And it might be possible to live there well if people had lived there before...well maybe. The characteristics of Mars well it is dry not very much colorful or nice. It does or may contain of organic compounds though. If there is that then well there might be some sure of DNA of some sort. After all that is what the scientists had discovered. And life on Mars...it might be possible. But its not a yes or no..its just a maybe,it might be possible,but who really does know the answer that question?
ReplyDeleteI think that at one point, life on Earth did exist. But, the living organisms were only microorganisms, not complex. The Viking did find organic substances. But, it failed to detect it. Even though organic substance were found on Mars, it is not a very hospitable place to live. There is no water. Also,Mars does not have a thick ozone layer like Earth. Therefore, there will be a lot of radiation which would cause us damage. Earth is probably one of the best places to live. We shouldn't keep on destroying it and we should cherish our resources. We will have no other place to go if we destroy our only home.
ReplyDeleteBased on the article, I believe at one point there was life on Mars because organic compounds were found in the soil where life could've been sustained. Organic is a characteristic of life.It says that the data from the Vikings showed that there were possibly were organic compounds in the soil, only it wasn't recognized because of the technology. It states how the Martian soil closely resembles Chilean soil, but that doesn't mean it is exactly. Hopefully, with the technology we have today, we are able to find the whole truth about whether there really is life on Mars.
ReplyDeleteThere is a possibility that life did exist on Mars. However, there isn't enough evidence to actually prove it. If life is going to be possible on Mars, scientists would need to search for the eight characteristics of life. They need to find subjects that are made of cells, can reproduce, based on a genetic code (DNA), can grow and develop at at least one point of their life, have a metabolism, capable of evolving, and can maintain homeostasis within their bodies. If scientists can find traces of these in Martian soil, then life is or was indeed on Mars. As I had stated at the beginning of this comment, there isn't enough evidence that proves life is on Mars. But, according to the article, there is enough evidence to support the inference that life is on Mars. The article compares the data received by scientists from the Vikings to modern researches. In 1976, there were no carbon traces of life in the soil of Mars. Today, scientists discovered that the reason there were no traces was because of the possibility of the Viking crafts heating up the soil, causing it to eliminate all organic compounds. They exemplified this by taking the soil from the Atacama Desert, which supposedly has soil similar to Mars, and heated it. After they heated it to the right temperature, they noticed that all the organic compounds that were previously in the soil were gone. This may support the theory that life is on Mars; however, there have been some flaws in this experiment. The scientists can't be very sure that the soil from the desert resembles the Martian soil in every detail. I'm excited to see the results of the Curiosity's mission to Mars, and see for myself if life can be inhabited within Mars.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is possible for life to live or have lived on Mars. If they found these organic compounds that the Viking experiments brought back that shows that there once was or is a possibility of life. Like the article says about the chilean soil being very close to the same as the soil on Mars, shows that there is even a bigger possibility of life because people do live in Chile. All that is needed to show this is the 8 characteristics of life. If there are carbon based life forms the standards that need to be met are the eight characteristics for them to be officially a species of life. A main thing that can help prove this is just a little more evidence of life which can hopefully be proven in 2011 when they send the Curiosity Rover to Mars.
ReplyDeleteThis article being about the possibility of having life on Mars, is likely possible, based on the information provided in this article. These organic compounds that are found, are making an impact, and that's taking a step towards experimenting with the idea of having life on mars. Near the end of 2011, there will be a curiosity rover, to test to see if all of this is hopefully true. The more evidence there is, the better, and therefore there will be more hope to scientific discoveries these days. As we all thought before, it has been impossible to have life on Mars due to the lack of the organic compounds, and that's imperative to carbon-based organisms, so this discovery would definitely make a difference.
ReplyDeleteWhat this article says is that, in 1976 they sent a Viking lander to mars and it scooped some soil samples to find out if there were any organic compound in them. Scientists were suprised when they foundout there weren't any organic compounds in the soil. Latera guy named Rafael Navarro Gonzales from the UNAM said that the Viking lander may have found organic compounds but failed at recognizing them. He said that there was another way to find organic compounds but with a specific strategy for searching vestiges of life on the planet. Then they foundout there could've been organic compounds that were destroyed by the perchlorate due to the high temperatures of the planet. In my opinion i think there was life on Mars but it was wiped out due to the perchlorate.
ReplyDeleteI do think that it is possible that there was once life on Mars. This seems unlikely because the terrian on Mars would not be very nice to live one. But I do believe this because there was evidence found but the Viking. Although there was not any DNA found yet it is possile in the future they may find some. What were found were organic compounds. am not sure if it is possible for humans to live there or not. The characteristics of life are made of cells, have DNA and grow, have a metabolism, resond to thier enviorment, maintain homeostasis, and evolve. It would be very interesting if the scientists found evidence of something on Mars that had these characteristics.
ReplyDeleteBased on what I have read I think there was life in mars at a surtin piont. They said they have found stuff that are in eath ,and what they have found are the things we need to survive. Maybe when the earth was forming there was life in mars. But I don't think that they will find life know because they will need to have the eight characteristics all in one thing. Since they have been trying to find life there since 1976 ,they would of probably would of found it by now.
ReplyDeleteIn 1976, The Viking landers scooped up oil from mars. They heated it and found almost no organic compound in it, but now it is believed that the soil was heated too much and the compounds were broken. New tests scientists got from Martian soil in 2008 confirm more organic compounds in the soil than the compounds found in 1976. Unfortunately, no confirmations were made, which means that Life on mars will be possibly tested again in 2011. Therefore, Scientists have not found Response, Development, Reproduction, Metabolism, Evolution, One or more cells, Universal Genetic Code, or Homeostasis on mars according to the information read, however even though there are not many evidence found in mars regarding the characteristics of life, who can ever say that life on mars doesn’t exist. Who knows, Martians might exist and have higher technology to hide from us. Either way, possibility for life in mars may vary, but we have to wait until 2011 or later on. I, however, am one of the people that believe life on mars may exist.
ReplyDeleteIn 1976, The Viking landers scooped up oil from mars. They heated it and found almost no organic compound in it, but now it is believed that the soil was heated too much and the compounds were broken. New tests scientists got from Martian soil in 2008 confirm more organic compounds in the soil than the compounds found in 1976. Unfortunately, no confirmations were made, which means that Life on mars will be possibly tested again in 2011. Therefore, Scientists have not found Response, Development, Reproduction, Metabolism, Evolution, One or more cells, Universal Genetic Code, or Homeostasis on mars according to the information read, however even though there are not many evidence found in mars regarding the characteristics of life, who can ever say that life on mars doesn’t exist. Who knows, Martians might exist and have higher technology to hide from us. Either way, possibility for life in mars may vary, but we have to wait until 2011 or later on. I, however, am one of the people that believe life on mars may exist.
ReplyDeleteI belive there was life in Mars at one point. When Vikin landers whent to Mars and scooped up soil samples, scientists were surprised that the evidence showed that there wasnt any organic compunds. The lack of organic molecules and basic requirements on carbon showed us that Mars would not easly support life. In my opinion life in Mars isn't important because I dont thing humas would be able to survive. There are a lot of things we need to be able to live like oxygen, water and food. We gust need to take care of the planet we live in and stop worrying about finding life in othe planets.
ReplyDeleteI believe that life could have existed on Mars at one point, but to prove it
ReplyDeleteNASA will have to make sure the organisms (or at least the dead cells) have
At one point displayed the eight characteristics of life. These are being made up of cells, being able to reproduce, having genetic code, having grown or developed during life, having metabolism, having responded to the environment, being able to maintain homeostasis, and having evolved over time. With out proving most of these characteristics, NASA still will not have enough data to conclude there was ever life on Mars. If they do find life however it will be very interesting though. Because of living on another planet, these creatures (or more likely cells) will be dramatically different from our creatures because of being isolated and developing separately.
In the article "Mars organics get new lease on life" Ron Cowen the author of the article claims that martian soil could contain the building blocks of carbon-based life and might have living organisms on the red planet, that is very close to the habitable zone on our solar system. I strongly disagree because Mars has a very thin layer of atmosphere which would not protect any living thing from the radiation that Sun is giving off,not only the Sun solar winds, cosmic rays from the Sun, and other stars. We all know that Mars is further than the Earth and its the 4th planet from the Sun in our solar system this explains the temperatures that Mars has on its crust. Mars only has an atmosphere that’s only 1% as thick as Earth. This means that the planet has almost no ability to trap heat around it. I feel that some day science could expand to the point where humans would have a chance to live on Mars and expand their species.
ReplyDeleteI think that there is life on mars because scientists were able to find organic compounds within the soil. But in order life to live on mars they need these 8 characteristics. "Made of cells, can reproduce, follows a gentic code, can grow and develop during its life, has a metabolism, can adapt to its environment, maintain homeostasis, and evolves over time."
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that life exists or ever did exist on Mars. There really isn't enough evidence to support it either. There is so many different opinions on this topic that everyone is trying to find a scientific explanation to support their opinion. The article said that a biological source may have not even brought the organic compounds to the planet, but a meteor could have. It is also too hard to search for more evidence on Mars because one of the scientists said that the Martian DNA molecule is too fragile. And they also cannot be sure that the organic compounds from the soil found in the Atacama Desert in Chile are really the same organic compounds in the Martian soil. So basically, the scientists who do think there was or is life on Mars, have too little evidence to prove anything.
ReplyDeleteAlthough scientists always come up with new evidence of life on other planets, I don't think we'll ever know 100%. Some scientists can be biased on finding life on other planets, and use every evidence they can to prove their opinions. I, personally, don't believe in life on other planets. Nor do I believe in UFOs and such. I think Earth is the only planet that contains life. We have water and a great food source, that helps us live. Other planets, they don't. So, life on other planets just doesn't make sense.
ReplyDeleteI do not beleive that life on mars is possible now. But i do beleive somehow thousands of years ago maybe their was. When the viking landed on mars scientists discovered that the soild they scooped up had no organic compounds to it. All life needs certain organic molecules and some basic requirments one of which is carbon which it lacked. This evidence shows us that Mars cannon currently support life. Even if organic compounds were found on Mars the barren hostile envirnment their would not be able to support it. Because of this evidence i dont think Mars is capable to support life. But i personally think that maybe a very very long time ago it had organic compounds and was able to support life but all just dried up over time.
ReplyDeleteI myself believe that life on mars is possible, it just sounds a little scary. I have always found aliens interesting, and to think that, so close to home, there could be living organisms other than the ones found on earth. Now from what I already know about mars, there were some signs that water did exist on this planet before, yet who says it still doesn't. The 8 characteristics of life state that a living organism must: be made out of cells, be able to grow, reproduce, and maintain homeostasis. It says nothing about needing water. Though many organisms do, they don't have to. Thus I believe if there already wasn't, there may be life on mars.
ReplyDelete