Antarctic Microbes Could Live on Mars

eldavojohn writes "Recent research has shown that microbes found in an Antarctic lake could survive the coldest temperatures on Mars. From the article, 'And they found that these species of microorganisms "huddled" together in colder temperatures to form a chemically linked unit called a biofilm. The finding marks the first time this phenomenon has been detected in the Antarctic species of so-called extremophiles. The findings provide more evidence for the ideas that liquid found beneath Mars' surface could harbor microbial life and that life could exist elsewhere in the solar system and galaxy, which is generally incredibly cold.' Their genes are currently being sequenced to determine which give the organisms 'cold-shock' proteins and their resistance to cold."

Comments

Re:Study hot life instead

[OriginalArlen]

Mars is indeed a better candidate for terraforming than Venus, but then my arse painted blue would make a better President than Bush; what's your point?

Terraforming Mars is utterly, utterly impractical; not quite into the 'interstellar travel' level of physical impossibility, but well on the way and with the kids bouncing on the back seat going "are we there yet? Are we theerrrreee yeeeeetttttttt????"

Where to start. Let's suppose it were possible, with some fantasy Star Trek gizmo that you've abracadabra'd up, and that the world's population is prepared to pay for you to indulge your fantasty. Ala-shazam! Mars now has an Earth-like atmosphere, and earth-like water levels (oh BTW, that's just flooded the northern hemisphere; that reduces your land area to approximately that of South America, but WTF, the flooded craters look cool.) Now what happens? Well first all the water boils into water vapour. Can't be bothered to work it out but at a first hand-waving approximation, that takes about a week. Over the next 10-100 years your atmosphere leaks away into space (along with any UV-blocking ozone you'd also shazam'd up.) Meanwhile, any humans are going crazy from sheltering from the incredibly toxic environment outside, and getting cabin fever and chronic depression caused by the low light levels out there. (You realise how dim the sun is out there, right?) Within a century humans can't live outside underground hermetically sealed capsules (like Dubya's never-gonna-happen-either man-on-Mars people will have to, if they ever get there that is.) Within a millennium Ares has rolled back down the entropy gradient most of the way towards it's natural rest state equilibrium, which is - who'd a thunk it? - exactly what it's like today.

Zubrin fanboys make me puke ;p