[meteorite-list] Is there smelly life out there?/Pillinger
From: ensoramanda at ntlworld.com <ensoramanda_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:15:39 +0000 Message-ID: <20090115191539.YIEWP.370565.root_at_web07-winn.ispmail.private.ntl.com> Hi All, The Sun has always had a reputation for twisting the truth like this....but as for Colin Pillinger. I have met him several times and he is dedicated to inspiring youngsters to get involved with space and science...his early work involved the first studies of Allende in those early days. He has a knack of turning around the negative publicity and quirky press coverage that the press generates in his/science's favour, exploiting it in his own way to promote public understanding. Last time I saw him he invited me down to PSSRI to look around the latest projects and see their new equipment for probing the latest space rocks and Stardust material , etc and was promoting his latest book "Space is a Funny Place" in which has used his lifelong collection of space press coverage and cartoons to illustrate many serious aspects of science...very entertaining. I have signed copy sitting alongside my meteorite books. see here.. http://colinpillinger.com/barnstormpr.co.uk/books.htm Unfortunately he is slowly succumbing to MS and is fighting hard to continue promoting the new technologies created for the Beagle project both back in Space and here on earth in portable medical applications for the third world. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article545436.ece Just regretting not making time for Tucson this year. Hope everyone else out there has a great time...perhaps next year when my pound might buy a bit more!! I live in hope. Graham Ensor, UK ---- mexicodoug at aim.com wrote: > Hi Mark and Darren, Oh just another case of what happens when the scientific peer-review process is omitted and the overall press tries to pick it up without quoting their sources very noticeably or being purposefully sly with their grammar to entertainingly dupe readers waiting in line at Tesco and Wal-Mart. The conclusions regarding methane are twisted by one of the most entertaining and comical UFO inspiring tabloid 'newspapers' on the planet, none other than the National Inquirer's big brother, Britain's "THE SUN". Always loved that name! The author is none other than the Sun Spaceman who must have a blast at his job! Below's the original article which is much more entertaining. I sense a little sarcasm towards Expert Colin Pillinger, head of the "ill-fated Beagle 2" - just look at his picture. :-) The other British Space Expert (presented as "Britain's Top Space Expert") quoted is Nick Pope, former head of Britian's government sponsored "UFO program". http://www.nickpope.net/biography.htm Best Health, Doug http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2133475.ece By PAUL SUTHERLAND Sun Spaceman Published: Today ALIEN microbes living just below the Martian soil are responsible for a haze of methane around the Red Planet, Nasa scientists believe. The gas, belched in vast quantities in our world by cows, was detected by orbiting spacecraft and from Earth using giant telescopes. Discovery ... gas around Mars Nasa are today expected to confirm its presence during a briefing at their Washington HQ. And the find is seen as exciting new evidence that Martian microbes are still alive today. To read more of our exclusive UFO stories click here. Some scientists reckon methane is also produced by volcanic processes. But there are NO known active volcanoes on Mars. Furthermore, Nasa has found the gas in the same regions as clouds of water vapour, the vital ?drink? needed to support life. Mission ... probe on the surface of Mars Experts speculate that the methane is being emitted as a waste product by organisms called methanogens living in water beneath underground ice. And they would have to be alive today because the methane would otherwise have been lost from the Martian atmosphere. What a scoop ... Phoenix lander dug up chunks of ice last year John Murray ? a member of the Mars Express European space probe team ? believes the mini-Martians may be in a form of suspended animation and could even be REVIVED. He has found overwhelming evidence of a vast frozen ocean beneath the dust near the Martian equator where simple life could have thrived as microbes. Today?s briefing will feature a star panel of Mars experts headed by Michael Meyer, chief scientist for Nasa?s Mars programme. UK Mars expert Professor Colin Pillinger believes=2 0the methane can only point to the presence of life on the planet. His ill-fated Beagle 2 probe was carrying a laboratory that would have looked directly for such signs of life when it crashed on Christmas Day 2003. Prof Pillinger told The Sun last night: ?Methane is a product of biology. For methane to be in Mars? atmosphere, there has to be a replenishable source. ?The most obvious source of methane is organisms. So if you find methane in an atmosphere, you can suspect there is life. ?It?s not proof, but it makes it worth a much closer look.? Nasa?s findings confirm studies by Europe?s Mars Express probe, which has been orbiting the planet for five years and also reported signs of methane in 2004. Britain?s top space expert Nick Pope last night hailed the new evidence of life as ?the most important discovery of all time?. He said: ?What could be more profound than to know it?s not just us out there? Expert ... Colin Pillinger "We?ve really only scratched the surface ? it?s an absolute certainty that there is life out there and we are not alone. ?If there is life on Mars then the logical conclusion is that there must be life elsewhere too. ?If it?s happened here on Earth, then why shouldn?t it happen anywhere? The implication is this is a20universal law. ?Mars is very similar to Earth. It?s about the same size, it?s a rocky inner planet. ?Most scientists believe it probably has liquid water which is almost universally agreed as the pre-requisite for life. I am certain there is other life in the Universe and, most likely, intelligent life.? The Red Planet has gripped the public imagination for more than a century as a possible home for aliens. But life could not survive on its surface because, unlike the Earth, Mars has no magnetic shield to protect it against deadly sun radiation. The planet resembles our own in many ways. It is made of rock, it has an atmosphere and weather systems. Although much smaller with a diameter of around 4,222 miles, Mars? day is just 40 minutes longer than ours and its tilted axis gives it seasons. Water has been found in the form of buried ice and scientists believe that two billion years ago, Mars was covered with liquid oceans. Proof that water is still on Mars came in 2007 when Mars Express used ground-piercing radar to study the region around the planet?s South Pole. Nasa?s latest lander Phoenix dug up chunks of Martian ice last year. It swiftly evaporated into the thin atmosphere. Nasa have controversially hit the headlines before for claiming evidence for Martians. In 1996, they said they had discovered fossilised organisms i n a meteorite from the planet. But other scientists were sceptical. Today?s conference will be broadcast live online by NASA TV (www.nasa.gov/ntv) at 7pm. -----Original Message----- From: Mark Ford To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com Sent: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:12 am Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Is there smelly life out there? >Although there is a consensus among some scientists that methane is also >produced by volcanic processes, the lack of any active volcanoes on Mars rules >this possibility out. So by that somewhat 'skewed logic' (imho) there's also life on Jupiter, the moon, Titan, at least one exoplanet and Venus, oh or could it perchance be that it is volcanic/geologic in origin, and we just haven't located the source yet - but that doesn't grab the head lines I guess!! Best, Mark -----Original Message----- From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com [mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Darren Garrison Sent: 15 January 2009 15:36 To: meteorite list Subject: [meteorite-list] Is there smelly life out there? http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24917099-401,00.html Methane discovery suggests presence of life on Mars, say Nasa scientists NASA scientists are expected to announce they may have proof there is life on Mars. The scientists suspect alien microbes are alive and kicking just below the soil of the big planet, after=2 0large quantities of what is believed to be the organisms' waste products were detected. The organisms - called methanogens - are suspected to have been living in water beneath underground ice, where they are disgorging tonnes and tonnes of methane. On Earth, methane is produced in massive quantities by animals such as cows, sheep and goats. Giant telescopes from Earth and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have spotted a haze of the gas surrounding Mars, and according to some scientists this can only point to the presence of life on Mars. "Methane is a product of biology," UK Mars expert Professor Colin Pillinger told UK tabloid The Sun last night. "For methane to be in Mars' atmosphere, there has to be a replenishable source. "The most obvious source of methane is organisms, so if you find methane in an atmosphere, you can suspect there is life. "It's not proof, but it makes it worth a much closer look." "What could be more profound than to know it's not just us out there? "We've really only scratched the surface - it's an absolute certainty that there is life out there and we are not alone. "If there is life on Mars then the logical conclusion is that there must be life elsewhere too." Although there is a consensus among some scientists that methane is also produced by volcanic processes, the lack of any active volcanoes on Mars rules this possibility out. Methane plu mes are very short-lived, it is chemically broken down by sunlight within a year. Something is replacing the methane, and quickly. The fascination with the idea that Mars harbours life has pervaded popular culture for over a century. The public obsession with Martians began way back in 1877 when astronomer Giovanni Sciaparelli reported observations of large canali - meaning "channels" - on Mars, which he speculated must have been dug by an intelligent race, although this proved mistaken. H.G. Wells classic 1898 novel of a Martian invasion of Earth War of the Worlds has been turned into two big budget Hollywood films and when staged as 1938 radio play by Orson Wells caused reportedly caused panic when some of the audience mistook it for a real newscast. Director Tim Burton reimagined the scenario with playfully malignant extraterrestrials in his blackly comic 1996 film Mars Attacks. -----Original Message----- From: Mark Ford <mark.ford at ssl.gb.com> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com Sent: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:12 am Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Is there smelly life out there? >Although there is a consensus among some scientists that methane is also >produced by volcanic processes, the lack of any active volcanoes on Mars rules >this possibility out. So by that somewhat 'skewed logic' (imho) there's also life on Jupiter, the moon, Titan, at least one exoplanet and Venus, oh or could it perchance b e that it is volcanic/geologic in origin, and we just haven't located the source yet - but that doesn't grab the head lines I guess!! Best, Mark -----Original Message----- From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com [mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Darren Garrison Sent: 15 January 2009 15:36 To: meteorite list Subject: [meteorite-list] Is there smelly life out there? http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24917099-401,00.html Methane discovery suggests presence of life on Mars, say Nasa scientists NASA scientists are expected to announce they may have proof there is life on Mars. The scientists suspect alien microbes are alive and kicking just below the soil of the big planet, after large quantities of what is believed to be the organisms' waste products were detected. The organisms - called methanogens - are suspected to have been living in water beneath underground ice, where they are disgorging tonnes and tonnes of methane. On Earth, methane is produced in massive quantities by animals such as cows, sheep and goats. Giant telescopes from Earth and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have spotted a haze of the gas surrounding Mars, and according to some scientists this can only point to the presence of life on Mars. "Methane is a product of biology," UK Mars expert Professor Colin Pillinger told UK tabloid The Sun last night. "For methane to be in Mars' atmosp here, there has to be a replenishable source. "The most obvious source of methane is organisms, so if you find methane in an atmosphere, you can suspect there is life. "It's not proof, but it makes it worth a much closer look." "What could be more profound than to know it's not just us out there? "We've really only scratched the surface - it's an absolute certainty that there is life out there and we are not alone. "If there is life on Mars then the logical conclusion is that there must be life elsewhere too." Although there is a consensus among some scientists that methane is also produced by volcanic processes, the lack of any active volcanoes on Mars rules this possibility out. Methane plumes are very short-lived, it is chemically broken down by sunlight within a year. Something is replacing the methane, and quickly. The fascination with the idea that Mars harbours life has pervaded popular culture for over a century. The public obsession with Martians began way back in 1877 when astronomer Giovanni Sciaparelli reported observations of large canali - meaning "channels" - on Mars, which he speculated must have been dug by an intelligent race, although this proved mistaken. H.G. Wells classic 1898 novel of a Martian invasion of Earth War of the Worlds has been turned into two big budget Hollywood films and when staged as 1938 radio play by Orson Wells caused reportedly caused panic when some of the audience mistook it for a real newscast. Director Tim Burton reimagined the scenario with playfully malignant extraterrestrials in his blackly comic 1996 film Mars Attacks. ______________________________________________ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify us. Email info at ssl.gb.com. You should not copy or use this email or attachment(s) for any purpose nor disclose their contents to any other person. GENERAL STATEMENT: Southern Scientific Ltd's computer systems may be monitored and communications carried on them recorded, to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. Registered address Rectory Farm Rd, Sompting, Lancing, W Sussex BN15 0DP. Company No 1800317 ______________________________________________ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list ______________________________________________ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list Received on Thu 15 Jan 2009 02:15:39 PM PST |
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