Possibility of Life On Mars Looking More Remote

Riding with Robots writes "The never-say-die robotic geologist Opportunity continues its extended explorations in Victoria Crater on Mars. The latest findings from the mission suggest that while plenty of water did exist in this location, it was so salty that life would have a very hard time gaining a foothold. 'Not all water is fit to drink,' said Andrew Knoll, a member of the rover science team. 'At first, we focused on acidity, because the environment would have been very acidic. Now, we also appreciate the high salinity of the water when it left behind the minerals Opportunity found. This tightens the noose on the possibility of life.'"

Comments

blah blah blah

[Anonymous Coward]

What we all really want to know is whether or not it has found oil yet. :D

Re:Please Stop already....

[neonmonk]

There's a chance of the existence of A HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL? Possibly somewhere in the region of my pants??? The fact that there is even a chance I must now search high and low! I Believe!

Re:How is this news??

[Zeinfeld]

Am I the only who has, for tears, 'known' that there is no life on Mars?

Yes the idea that the life on Mars is all off looking for the remote would be so much more believable if they had like found a TV or something.

Late Breaking News:

[TripMaster Monkey]

Optimism continued to make inroads today across the community as K'Breel, Speaker for the most Illustrious Council of Elders, stated that the Council's latest plan to feed misinformation to the robotic minions of the sinister blue planet were bearing fruit.

"Gentle Citizens, today I stand before you proud as a gerlsh in the first heivtning, positively quirlly to bring you the news that the devices of terror, sent unto us by the hideous inhabitants of the evil blue planet, have been duped by our clever plan! By sowing the soil in their path with the poisonous gretch-sand, we have convinced the credulous fools that life cannot possibly exist here. Thinking our planet a horrible wasteland of gretch-sand, instead of the vibrant paradise we know it to be, the disgusting creatures of the evil blue planet will doubtless abandon their nefarious schemes to annex our world! Rejoice with me, pod-mates! This is the turning point!"

When a certain impertinent youngling pointed out that there have been so many 'turning points' in this terrible conflict that surely, the Illustrious Council must by dizzy by this time, K'breel denounced him as a traitor and decreed that his gelsacs be lacerated until he admitted his guilt and confessed his onerous crimes. The youngling confessed later that evening, and was immediately executed for his awful crimes.

Re:How is this news??

[Zeinfeld]

There's a difference between life and advanced, intelligent life.

We are still waiting for the second down here on earth.

Re:How is this news??

[TheRealMindChild]

You act all surprised. Guess how shocked I was when I found out this story had nothing to do with televisions.

Re:Bit early to say that

[CrimsonAvenger]

If you landed in the bed of a (former) salt lake in the US (eg. the aptly-named Dead Sea), you'd likely draw the same conclusions.

Traditionally, we've considered the Dead Sea to be outside the US. In Israel, in fact, though I may have missed some recent border movements.

Perhaps you meant to refer to Death Valley? Which, by the way, is full of life, for all that it's a dried up seabed and the hottest place in the USA.

Re:Please Stop already....

[OMNIpotusCOM]

You know, that's an interesting point. We should start bringing blankets so that when we do find life on another planet we can give it to them. It worked when we met the Indians.