There Was Life on Mars

[Gahars]

You read that title right.

New analysis of 36-year-old data, resuscitated from printouts, shows that NASA found life on Mars, an international team of mathematicians and scientists conclude in a paper published this week.

Further, NASA doesn't need a human expedition to Mars to nail down the claim, neuropharmacologist and biologist Joseph Miller, with the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, told Discovery News.

Yes, you read that part right, too.

...Researchers distilled the Viking Labeled Release data, provided as hard copies by the original researchers, into sets of numbers and analyzed the results for complexity. Since living systems are more complicated than non-biological processes, the idea was to look at the experiment results from a purely numerical perspective.

They found close correlations between the Viking experiment results' complexity and those of terrestrial biological data sets. They say the high degree of order is more characteristic of biological, rather than purely physical, processes.

Source: MSNBC

This just got a whole lot less far fetched... Well, sure, it's still incredibly far fetched, but hey, baby steps.

Well, okay, let's get critical here first. The scientists are not working with actual physical samples; they are using a method that some have said hasn't entirely been proven yet. This paper is also not the end of it. Instead, these scientists will continue their research, checking every possible variable to verify that their findings are absolutely correct. That will take some more time, and who knows exactly what they will find? We may very well be jumping the gun here.

But pfft, back to the positive. Life. On. Mars. The evidence that life can exist elsewhere may be in our very hands. The great question that every man has asked after looking to the stars, are we alone in the universe, may very well be answered soon enough. If this finding is ultimately proven correct, I think it's hardly an exaggeration to say that the very way we see ourselves could change dramatically. We are living in some interesting times here.

Keep your fingers crossed, but I'd be sure to have them ready for a Vulcan salute just in case.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

Before everyone goes all "MARTIAN WOOOOAH" I believe it's just some bacteria >.>

 

[Hyro-Sama]

John Carter 2012

 

[Gahars]

Before everyone goes all "MARTIAN WOOOOAH" I believe it's just some bacteria >.>

Well, yeah, and the article does go on to mention that.

But hey, lifeforms are lifeforms. Besides... it's Martian bacteria!

 

[Janthran]

I have my doubts.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

Before everyone goes all "MARTIAN WOOOOAH" I believe it's just some bacteria >.>

Well, yeah, and the article does go on to mention that.

But hey, lifeforms are lifeforms. Besides... it's Martian bacteria!

Yeah I know, just saying...this isn't all that helpful, seeing how they uhh...y'know, died. Really all this could prove is that years and years ago there was a possibility of life outside of Earth in our own solar system. Now it just means...well, there was other life inside our solar system.

 

[DiscostewSM]

I knew there was life on Mars, but I ate the candy bar anyways.

 

[Gahars]

Before everyone goes all "MARTIAN WOOOOAH" I believe it's just some bacteria >.>

Well, yeah, and the article does go on to mention that.

But hey, lifeforms are lifeforms. Besides... it's Martian bacteria!

Yeah I know, just saying...this isn't all that helpful, seeing how they uhh...y'know, died. Really all this could prove is that years and years ago there was a possibility of life outside of Earth in our own solar system. Now it just means...well, there was life outside our solar system.

Sure, they died, but the fact that life existed outside of Earth is a monumental discovery in and of itself.

While we've speculated about the existence about life outside Earth for the entirety of our existence, we've had nothing to base it on; it's incredibly likely given the vastness of the cosmos, of course, but we just didn't have any hard evidence. This would give us that evidence, showing that, yes, it absolutely can happen and no (or at least for the time this bacteria was formed) we are not alone.

I know it doesn't really seem helpful, but it's all a matter of perspective. This discovery would be the stepping stone that takes us to whatever else the universe has in store. This is only the beginning (assuming it's accurate, of course).

 

[Rydian]

I think the conclusion is quite a jump.

I mean that's like me looking at a mountain range in Minecraft, determining it looks too much like a real butt to be the result of the generator, and so claim notch is secretly gay and putting butts in the game.

 

[ScarletCrystals]

Purely numerical perspective does not sound promising.

 

[Just Another Gamer]

Well thats great in its own way. Still the song and the UK TV series was pretty good

 

[omgpwn666]

That's cool stuff if it's real. =)

 

[blahkamehameha]

Which raises a question I've had before, has life ever been proven to come from non-life?

Babies, clones, etc. all come from a life source, I'm unaware if scientists have ever been able to create bacteria or what have you from "unalive" materials...

 

[Mantis41]

I have a great idea. Lets send a probe to Mars to collect some rocks and dust a bring some of the bacteria back to earth. I'm sure it's harmless.

 

[Sicklyboy]

I think the conclusion is quite a jump.

I mean that's like me looking at a mountain range in Minecraft, determining it looks too much like a real butt to be the result of the generator, and so claim notch is secretly gay and putting butts in the game.

NPC villages were released. Started up my server, added in a previous world that nobody had had access to in a few months. Explore. Come across a greenhouse type thing and some odd stairwell going down, matching nothing that any of my friends would make. This was before I had a lot of people on the server, it was maybe 5 people plus me. This was before my best friend's girlfriend played. This was before my girlfriend played. This was before I even met my current girlfriend. My ex never played.

About twenty blocks from the greenhouse was floating text, constructed with dirt "I LOVE YOU"

Tell me this isn't shenanigans.

Aaaaand back on topic - I think that life outside of Earth is totally possible. I also have a hard time coming to terms with the fact that space never ends, I feel like it has to end somewhere, but also can't come to terms with the thought of a void beyond space. Somewhere, somewhere there has to be more sentient life like us.

 

[Rydian]

That was a player. We have access to MC's source.

EDIT: MC is not open-source, but access to view it's source can be gotten.

 

[PriMieon]

i bet they are pokemons!!

 

[Range-TE]

we're close to finding those prothean mars archives

 

[The Catboy]

I would be quite interested to see how this thing turns out, but then again I won't be alive in a million years to see the end results.

 

[raybattousai]

Best news title I've seen all year. Also David Bowie is the fucking man!