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Popular Science News (NASA, CERN, etc.)

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09-25-2015 , 11:13 PM

SL__72

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 16,497

I wanted to discuss this press release from NASA and it seemed a shame that I couldn't quickly find the obvious thread for it. I considered starting a new thread in SMP but decided against it for obvious reasons.

Quote:

NASA will detail a major science finding from the agency’s ongoing exploration of Mars during a news briefing at 11:30 a.m. EDT on Monday, Sept. 28 at the James Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The event will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

News conference participants will be:

· Jim Green, director of planetary science at NASA Headquarters

· Michael Meyer, lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters

· Lujendra Ojha of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta

· Mary Beth Wilhelm of NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California and the Georgia Institute of Technology

· Alfred McEwen, principal investigator for the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) at the University of Arizona in Tucson

A brief question-and-answer session will take place during the event with reporters on site and by phone. Members of the public also can ask questions during the briefing using #AskNASA.

To participate in the briefing by phone, reporters must email their name, media affiliation and telephone number to Steve Cole at stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov by 9 a.m. EDT on Monday.

For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and to view the news briefing, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

For more information about NASA's journey to Mars:

https://www.nasa.gov/topics/journeytomars

-end-

What speculation have you read? What do we think they're announcing?

09-28-2015 , 08:29 AM

Bode-ist

solidly average

Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 4,796

heavy speculation is water on Mars, obviously. Excited to find out what it is.

09-28-2015 , 09:05 AM

Mulezen

grinder

Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 604

Yes...interested too. I've heard is seasonal erosion from thawing sub soil.

09-28-2015 , 03:38 PM

SL__72

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 16,497

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/n...n-today-s-mars

Quote:

New findings from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provide the strongest evidence yet that liquid water flows intermittently on present-day Mars.

Using an imaging spectrometer on MRO, researchers detected signatures of hydrated minerals on slopes where mysterious streaks are seen on the Red Planet. These darkish streaks appear to ebb and flow over time. They darken and appear to flow down steep slopes during warm seasons, and then fade in cooler seasons. They appear in several locations on Mars when temperatures are above minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 23 Celsius), and disappear at colder times.

“Our quest on Mars has been to ‘follow the water,’ in our search for life in the universe, and now we have convincing science that validates what we’ve long suspected,” said John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “This is a significant development, as it appears to confirm that water -- albeit briny -- is flowing today on the surface of Mars.”

09-28-2015 , 05:43 PM

Mulezen

grinder

Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 604

09-30-2015 , 12:05 AM

Dominic

Tripod

Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 74,262

If there's water, there must be life, right?

10-01-2015 , 05:02 PM

Falc

Heads Up Champ, Nit Division

Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,493

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dominic

If there's water, there must be life, right?

That's true on Earth. Every where we find water, there's life (pretty much). Not necessarily true on Mars, since we don't know how life starts.

However, if there is life in the water on Mars, it leaves two pretty interesting scenarios.

One: it's the same as life on earth. Meaning the DNA etc looks the same. Then we can conclude that we come from the same place. Either Earth, Mars or somewhere else, like an asteroid for example. (Or from aliens!)

The other scenario is if the (hypothetical) life on Mars is different from life on Earth, then we've found life on two out of two planets with water. That would mean it looks like life gets going relatively easy and the universe should be abundant with life.

Pretty exciting!

10-01-2015 , 06:26 PM

therightdeal

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 6,256

In an infinite universe the question of whether we are the only "life" in the universe is ridiculously absurd.

The question should be will we as a species ever have the capability to make contact?

10-02-2015 , 09:19 AM

SL__72

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 16,497

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falc

One: it's the same as life on earth. Meaning the DNA etc looks the same. Then we can conclude that we come from the same place. Either Earth, Mars or somewhere else, like an asteroid for example. (Or from aliens!)

This theory seems most compatible with this theory to me:

Quote:

In the event that an asteroid or comet would impact Earth and send rock fragments containing embedded microorganisms into space, at least some of those organisms might survive and reseed on Earth or another planetary surface able to support life, according to a study published in the Spring 2008 (Volume 8, Number 1) issue of Astrobiology, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The paper is available free online.

Quote:

“Given that impacts have occurred on planetary bodies throughout the history of our solar system,” says journal Editor, Sherry L. Cady, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Geology at Portland State University, “the hypothesis that life in rock could have been transferred between planets at different times during the past 3.5 billion years is plausible. These experiments advance our understanding of the constraints on life’s ability to survive the magnitude of impact that would accompany a meteoric trip from Mars to Earth.”

10-02-2015 , 09:33 AM

#10

SL__72

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 16,497

In other news, holy crap:

http://www.nasa.gov/feature/pluto-s-...iolent-history

10-02-2015 , 03:04 PM

#11

Mulezen

grinder

Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 604

I read in recent months several popular books on paleo-anthropology...John Reader's Missing Links (Oxford) and Ian Tattersall's The Strange Case of the Rickety Cossack. It turns out these were wonderful prep for the recent NOVA show ://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/dawn-of-humanity.html concerning a cave full of bones discovered in South Africa. Anyone else see the show? Comments?

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