- cross-posted to:
- space@mander.xyz
- cross-posted to:
- space@mander.xyz
There are currently several rovers searching Mars for signs of life that could have existed back in those more habitable times, millions of years ago.
Earlier this year, NASA’s Curiosity rover discovered a missing piece in this puzzle: rocks that are rich in carbonate minerals.
These “carbonates”—such as limestone on Earth—act as a sponge for carbon dioxide, pulling it in from the atmosphere and trapping it in rock.
You must log in or # to comment.
If we do determine that Mars never hosted even tiny micro-organisms during its watery times, that would indicate it is difficult to kick-start life across the universe.
But if we discover proof of ancient life, that would “basically be telling us the origin of life is easy on a planetary scale,” Kite said.
Two planets in one tiny part of one insignificant galaxy. The second statement seems pretty clearly true, but not the first. With a sample size of two out of the incomprehensibly large number of planets, I don’t think you can come to many conclusions if one of them doesn’t have life.
Maybe you and I don’t understand how stats works, because I agree with you.
If there is evidence of life, what are the odds it’s on 2 planets next to each other with insanely different conditions?
Whereas if it isn’t there, that could mean 1 of a million variables isn’t right (and we wouldn’t even know).
Exactly. But if it was on both planets, that might indicate that it’s pretty ubiquitous.
