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Ice Detected Underneath Mars' North Pole

TheSync writes "A Reuters/Yahoo story says University of Arizona and Russian scientists have detected water ice uniformly distributed in the soil of Mars' north polar regions. The amount of hydrogen detected indicates ice of 80% to 90% of soil volume. Data was used from the Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey." It's worth noting that their study only detected large amounts of hydrogen; so much hydrogen that ice is figured to be the only form it could be in, although I kind of like the idea of Mars' pole covering a huge pocket of hydrogen gas.

10 of 474 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Does it constitute life? Tough call by aarondyck · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    creationists don't share your "without any outside force" premise

    Don't get me wrong. I've actually been a creationist for years. For me, anyhow, it explains what I need explained. It does not, however, provide a full explanation. Neither does evolution. Both theories have their ups and downs. I'm willing to recognise both, and I choose to believe creationism, until proven wrong. I was merely pointing out that I could be proven wrong if multi-celled life was found on other planets, and could be attributed to evolution due to its simplicity or visible stages of advancement.

  2. Re:Does it constitute life? Tough call by aarondyck · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    The bible doesn't exactly mention anything about the americas, the bison there, or the mississippi river

    No, the Bible doesn't mention these things. The book of mormon, however, does. Do we then assume (by your logic) that the mormons are correct?

    It just strikes me that there is no proof of life outside of our planet, while there is obviously life in the Americas. In fact, the Bible does refer to a time when pangea (as we have come to call it) separated. This would most definitely be proof of the Americas. ('and unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.' - Genesis 10:25)

  3. MAMA DIDN'T RAISE NO FOOL! by niko9 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Wass all this hogwash 'bout InSync and Russians and Mars waterbeds?? Soil in my pockets?

    You trying to con me mista. Yes sir.
    You liable to steal the heat of a hot plate... the grease off a biscuit.

    Mama didn't raise no fool!

  4. Re:Does it constitute life? Tough call by aarondyck · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I apologise for my indignant response, however I still disagree with your point. Personally I am also a Canadian, but I know that the dispute over evolution vs. creation still rages on all through the so-called Christian world. Australia happens to be the location of the highest number of creationists per capita, as well as the home of Answers In Genesis, however. This would indicate to me, anyhow, that it is still a hot topic there. It simply doesn't make sense to assume that because the debate is public in the US that's the only place that it exists.

  5. Fight for truth and science not ignorance! by ratfynk · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Your comment was read and understood, but unfortunately I feel you may have been blinded to truth by ignorance, I pitty you.

    The quest for knowledge about outer space is one of the greatest goals we have as humans, it can and God willing, will unite and enoble us as a people.

    Many brave Americans died fighting in the 1770's, 1860's ,1910's, 1940's,50's,60's,and 70's for the rights you so easily cast aside. Your statements betray their great cause! FREEDOM

    The very ideas that you expressed, were used as propaganda by Hitler during the 1920's in Pre-Nazi Germany. The first casualties of the second world war were the German intelligencia, and truth.

    If the American Constitution means anything it is freedom of thought, with real social democracy for and by a free diverse people.

    Without strong defence of these fundimental values advancement in the sciences, art, religion, literature and all that is noble is not possible.

    These are two old comments that I made about the inportance of Mars exploration.
    please read;

    'why even bother?' ( a post ) from an article about the Chinese moon shot.

    "mining materials from the moon is going to be more expensive than raiding Western Russia and mining in Siberia then shipping it back to China.

    It's expensive to live there, to ship people there, and to experiment there (what to experiment on I will never know).

    I can't see a financial justification to use it as a start point for Mars missions when there is nothing of use on Mars (even if there is water and "life").

    Let's have our people suffer and wither away in the wastelands of undeveloped China and
    build a moon base!"



    My response to the post

    Give me an economic justification for war, and then I might go along with your statement. The first casualties of war are usually not modern American economic theorists, though this might be a good thing.

    Bullshit to your economics. Give us an economic explanation of the pyramids all around the world or European middle age cathedrals.

    There is every economic justification for non-productive space exploration, it would employ millions and do no harm. Can we really justify our so-called western lifestyle? (I gag when I use the canned, mindless advertising word lifestyle)

    The biggest burden on our technical, social, scientific and economic advancement in the West is our obsession and reliance on the personal automobile. It is outdated and needs replacement. It was important but like the horse it fouls our streets and costs us far too much in resources.

    The Chinese have been spared the automobile obsession by economic necessity. As they open their society and discover their true value as a people, they will over take the West in all fields of scientific, technical and human social endeavour within the next decade.

    As the first people to use fireworks in a non-destructive way, maybe that is what they have in mind. When you set off a nuclear explosion 40 or 50 thousand miles out in space all you get is one hell of a big flash. It is the use of nuclear technology within our atmosphere that is the real cause for concern.

    And

    The Reason for Going to Mars

    There was flowing water on Mars. Was there once an atmosphere similar to Earth? These questions beg definitive answers. The existence of some form of clustering goo with DNA would be the greatest scientific discovery of all time.
    If some form of life were found on Mars then the genetic study of that life would be crucial to our understanding of life, at least within our Solar System. There is the real possibility that life on Earth is genetically linked to something greater than Terra genesis.

    Much of our common legends state exactly this possibility (Greek legends of Gods, Assyrian legends). These legends are so powerful that they became religions.

    In short discovering that life originated off world would be the great

    --
    OH THE SHAME I fell off the wagon and use sigs again!
  6. Ice Ice Baby! by macdaddy357 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Yo, VIP, Let's kick it! Ice Ice Baby Martian Ice Ice Baby All right stop Collaborate and listen Ice is back with my brand new invention Something grabs a hold of me tightly Then I flow that a harpoon daily and nightly Will it ever stop? Yo--I don't know Turn off the lights and I'll glow To the extreme I rock a mic like a vandal Light up a stage and wax a chump like a candle. Dance Bum rush the speaker that booms I'm killin your brain like a poisonous mushroom Deadly, when I play a dope melody Anything less that the best is a felony Love it or leave it You better gain way You better hit bull's eye The kid dont play If there was a problem Yo, I'll solve it Check out the hook while my DJ revolves it Ice Ice Baby Martian (4X) Now that the party is jumping With the bass kicked in, the Vegas are pumpin' Quick to the point, to the point no faking I'm cooking MC's like a pound of bacon Burning them if they're not quick and nimble I go crazy when I hear a cymbal And a hi hat with a souped up tempo I'm on a roll and it's time to go solo Rollin in my 5.0 With my ragtop down so my hair can blow The girlies on standby Waving just to say HI Did you stop? No--I just drove by Kept on pursuing to the next stop I busted a left and I'm heading to the next block That block was dead Yo--so I continued to A1A Beachfront Ave. Girls were hot wearing less than bikinis Rockman lovers driving Lamborghinis Jealous 'cause I'm out getting mine Shay with a guage and Martian with a nine Reading for the chumps on the wall The Chumps are acting ill because they're so full of eight balls Gunshots ranged out like a bell I grabbed my nine-- All I heard were shells Fallin on the concrete real fast Jumped in my car, slammed on the gas Bumper to bumper the avenue's packed I'm tryin to get away before the jackers jacke Police on the scene You know what I mean They passed me up, confronted all the dope fiends If there was a problem Yo, I'll solve it Check out the hook while my DJ revolves it Ice Ice Baby martian (4X) Take heed, 'caese I'm a lyrical poet Miami's on the scene just in case you didn't know it My town, that created all the bass sound Enough to shake and kick holes in the ground 'Cause my style's like a chemical spill Feasible rhymes that you can vision and feel Conducted and formed This is a hell of a concept We make it hype and you want to step with this Shay palays on the fade, slice it like a ninja Cut like a razor blade so fast Other DJ's say, "Damn" If my rhyme was a drug I'd sell it by the gram Keep my composure when it's time to get loose Magnetized by the mic while I kick my juice If there was a problem Yo--I'll solve it! Check out the hook while Deshay revolves it. Ice Ice Baby Martian (4X) Yo man--let's get out of here! Word to your mother! Ice Ice baby Too Cold Ice Ice baby Too Cold Too cold (3X)

    --
    How ya like dat?
  7. Re:Does it constitute life? Tough call by Enzondio · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Atheistic regimes can be quite bloodthirsty - witness the USSR under Communism or Germany under Nazism.

    Whoa there. Nazi Germany was by no means atheistic. Though Hitler was a follower of Darwin he also clearly had a belief in god.

    "Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord."
    Mein Kampf, trans. Ralph Mannheimo

    Whether he was a Christian or not may be up for debate (maybe this is well established, some googling indicated to me that there was some confusion, but perhaps there is authoratative evidence). I personally feel he was a Christian or at least purported to be one.

    Whatever the details it is certainly not accurate to say that Nazism was atheistic.

  8. Re:Does it constitute life? Tough call by tcopeland · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    > Nazi Germany was by no means atheistic.

    You're absolutely right, my mistake. Nazism is a variety of jumbled occultisms, and certainly not Christian by any stretch of the imagination, but it was not atheistic. Thanks for prompting some research.

    > I personally feel he was a Christian
    > or at least purported to be one

    To the contrary:

    "Christianity is an invention of sick brains," Adolf Hitler, 13 December 1941.

  9. Re:Does it constitute life? Tough call by Enzondio · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    To the contrary:
    "Christianity is an invention of sick brains," Adolf Hitler, 13 December 1941.


    Well then. That pretty much settles that one. Now, I thank you for the correction.

  10. Re:Does it constitute life? Tough call by young-earth · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Hitler had extensive connections with the Catholic Church, which played both sides of the fence. They sheltered just enough Jews in the Vatican in case Hitler lost, and had a legate assigned to Hitler who later became Pope in case Hitler won. But notice they never spoke out against the Holocaust even though they knew it was happening at the time. Unfortunately the same is true of many back then as well.