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Originally Posted by A.DIM
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Originally Posted by Bill Thompson
... I was waiting and hoping to get your sources for your opinion that life might exist on Mars and Venus. It is more than a little suspicious and reveiling that you do not provide them.
My position and opinion is based on science and mathematics. What is your position based on .....?
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I'm of the opinion that we still do not know.
Within the last year we've seen articles such as this highlighting the possibility that Life may yet be found on Venus.
And then, of course, there's The New Hunt For Life On Mars with some tantalizing evidences.
So, in my mind, to state matter-of-factly a negative in either case is erroneous. |
You should read those sites.
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Originally Posted by http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astrobio_venus_030211.html
"Our assertion that microbial life may exist in the Venusian atmosphere is based on the assumption that microbial life originated in an early Venusian ocean, or was brought in by meteorites from Earth or Mars. Life then adapted to the atmospheric niche when Venus lost its oceans," reported Dirk Schulze-Makuch, of the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso.
These ideas are not free of problems, Schulze-Makuch told SPACE.com.
First there’s the overall viability of an atmosphere as a habitat. Also, there’s need for enough time for microbial life to adapt to the atmospheric niche from an oceanic-type of habitat. Toss in a scarcity of water and high doses of ultraviolet radiation, these too make it tough sledding for life finding a foothold in the clouds of Venus.
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In addition to all this, Schulze-Makuch's ideas don't mesh very well with the findings from the Magellian mission. I need to get the details of this and post it here soon.
As for the posting about Mars. I was under the impression that all this is about past life on Mars, not current life on Mars. It is strange how these links about life on Mars slowly and slowly leave this out over time when they continue to report on this subject.
The link you gave me about Mars also points to this interesting tidbit of information:
Life? Microcystis aeruginosa is a type of cyanobacteria found on Earth. It is an algae known to cloud the Chesapeake Bay when it blooms and forms thick mats. Life on other planets might never have evolved beyond such simplicity.
This supports what I have been saying, for all practical purposes.