I'm skeptical of "proof" of past life on Mars as as result of rocks found on Earth.

Pattonias

I'm skeptical of "proof" of past life on Mars as a result of rocks found on Earth.


NASA: Proof of Martians 'to come this year'


Wouldn't real proof be found on the planet? I thought these Martian rocks were discredited years ago.


Anyone care to shed more light on the topic?

mgb_phys

And while I haven't won the lottery yet - I'm very very close to winning it this week.

You could prove there had been life on mars from these rocks, although you would have a job proving that the rock came from Mars and any features weren't a record of some life on Earth that is now extinct - but to say we haven't found anything yet so we are very close is a bit PR spin.

zoobyshoe

I suspect the answer is "no" but do the rovers have the capability of taking microscopic photos of the rocks they encounter? Shots that might demonstrate the same fossilized bacteria?

turbo

The Mars Science Laboratory rover is scheduled to launch in the fall of 2011. It will feature a chemical laser that can vaporize the surfaces of rocks, and spectrographs that can analyze the released gases from distances raging from 4-30 feet. That's a whole lot less speculative than studying "Mars rocks" found on Earth.