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Possible Evidence of Martian Bacteria
half-seas-over writes "NASA issued a very interesting press release today. It highlights a recent study that compared tiny magnetite crystals in the Allan Hill meteorite to similar magnetite crystals that are created here on Earth by bacteria (who use the magnetite as a compass). The study (abstract available here (PDF) from this site) uses fairly strict criteria to determine that 25% of the magnetite content of the meteorite was created by ancient (>3.9Gyr ago) martian bacteria... either that or there is some strange natural process that makes very pure, isolated magnetite crystals that we haven't imagined or seen on Earth which is present on Mars. We'll have to wait and see what happens next, 'extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence' -Carl Sagan."
in peace..
Yes, people are starving. But more food is produced every year than is eaten. The US pays farmers not to grow crops, it pays them for their over production and then puts the crops in a warehouse, never to be seen again until it spoils and must be destroyed.
So obviously we have the means *right now* to end all hunger on the planet. We simply don't care (because most of the people who are starving are black and in countries with no political importance), can't (because those countries are openly hostile to us and either won't accept our help or steal what help we do send), or won't (does anyone know the last time we sent aid to Cuba? I know Castro offered to provide medical care to the people of Appalachia, which has some of the poorest people in the country.).
Remember when the Russia sub sank? We offered to help and they wouldn't take it because of pride. A similar situation occured a few years before that where we needed help but we wouldn't take the Russians up on their offer because, well, duh, they're the Ruskies.
That having been said, I don't think a human mission to mars is the way to go. I've always been in favor of colonizing permanent space stations, then the moon, then from there to Mars.
Better to send a robotic mission to Mars when searching for life, to eliminate any chance of possible contamination, no matter how small that chance is.