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NASA's Curiosity rover has discovered ancient organic molecules on Mars. That plus the methane is strongly suggesting that life may have existed on Mars back when liquid water existed on the surface.
NASA's Curiosity rover has found new evidence preserved in rocks on Mars that suggests the planet could have supported ancient life, as well as new evidence in the Martian atmosphere that relates to the search for current life on the Red Planet. While not necessarily evidence of life itself, these findings are a good sign for future missions exploring the planet's surface and subsurface.
The new findings – "tough" organic molecules in three-billion-year-old sedimentary rocks near the surface, as well as seasonal variations in the levels of methane in the atmosphere – appear in the June 8 edition of the journal Science.
Organic molecules contain carbon and hydrogen, and also may include oxygen, nitrogen and other elements. While commonly associated with life, organic molecules also can be created by non-biological processes and are not necessarily indicators of life.
"With these new findings, Mars is telling us to stay the course and keep searching for evidence of life," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, in Washington. "I'm confident that our ongoing and planned missions will unlock even more breathtaking discoveries on the Red Planet."
(Score: 3, Informative) by choose another one on Friday June 08 2018, @09:50PM (1 child)
> My guess is that interplanetary microbes that haven't evolved near humans won't be harmful.
My guess is that they won't be "directly" harmful because they haven't evolved near earth-life, however, precisely _because_ they haven't evolved along with earth life or in earth environment they may have very different metabolisms and biochemistry, and some of the chemicals they produce or rely on or excrete may well be harmful. Consider clostridium botulinum as an earth bound example - it ain't the bacteria that gets you its the neurotoxin it produces. My gut feeling is that this type of thing is far more likely than an attack from the microbe itself.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday June 11 2018, @02:45PM
Thank you. That is an excellent answer.
I'm thinking that some other life, based on long chain hydrocarbons can probably eat us, and we can eat them. Maybe not all. But it would seem likely that some could be. If not most. I'm no biologist or organic chemist (software developer here), but it seems that organic chemistry, with the same periodic table, probably works the same everywhere. (Hey, 19th century chemistry works on Mars! Who knew!) Long chain hydrocarbons are formed. More and more complex molecules are formed. Eventually amino acids. Proteins. And up and up to bigger and better structures until you get to DNA.
These atoms only form certain molecules. These molecules only fit together certain ways. All planets start out with the same periodic table of Lego bricks. If you keep jumbling the Lego bricks together in an endless ocean stew, you eventually form the same things.
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