Antarctica's Blood Falls: Extraterrestrial Life Is Possible

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by Odessy

 

Most of the people I know (and I've discussed the topic with) are pretty sure there is extraterrestrial life. None of them deny the possibility. The various polls cited earlier say that they are in the majority. "We" do not assert the impossibility of extraterrestrial life.

I'm not picking a fight. I'm denying a common claim.

[edit on 9/17/2009 by Phage]

Claiming to understand the statistical probability of alien life is not really the same thing as accepting it as a possible explanation for observed phenomenons.

reply to post by Jezus

The OP made no mention extraterrestrial life being an explanation for observed phenomena. Nor did I. That is a a separate matter.

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by Jezus

 

The OP made no mention extraterrestrial life being an explanation for observed phenomena. Nor did I. That is a a separate matter.

True.

But it doesn't change the point that claiming to believe something is not the same as using the information logically...

I can claim to believe the moon exists but if I look up and say, "O that thing? That isn't the moon...that is something else."
It isn't really the same belief an astronomer has about the moon.

Originally posted by miss_sky
....wow i never heard of that place before, very interesting and IMO more proof of life existing elsewhere in the universe.

Extremophiles have been known to exist for quite some time now. I don't think there is very much doubt among planetary biologists that extreme life may exist in a place such as Europa, Enceladus, Ganymede, Titan, or even in the clouds of Venus.

If NASA and other planetary biologists didn't already believe life could exist in those places, they wouldn't be that interested in them.

This "Blood Falls" is certainly more information that planetary biologists could use, and it's worthy of their study. However, they don't need it to convince them about the possibilities of life in extreme conditions -- they were already convinced of that several years ago.


[edit on 9/17/2009 by Soylent Green Is People]

reply to post by Phage


Do you think there is any possible connection (even indirect) between the bacteria discovered here and what we see on Europa?

Originally posted by DaMod
reply to post by Phage

 

Do you think there is any possible connection (even indirect) between the bacteria discovered here and what we see on Europa?

I keep asking... no one bites.

Originally posted by debris765nju
Invalid premise in the commentary in video picture.........How can it be frozen in ice (H2O) 1.5 million years and not have access to oxygen? It is an iron rich environment...very attractive to lightning and other electromagnetic features near the planets poles. Salt leeches out of ice, oh yeah, did you notice the images in the ice?

I'll bite..... no, I did not notice the images in the ice.

I am old with poor eye sight, so could you help me by pointing out what you see?

reply to post by DaMod

I'm not sure exactly what you mean. If you're referring to the color, that is a "false color" image. There is no actual bright "red" coloration.

The view combines images taken in violet, green and near-infrared filters in 1998 and 1995. The colors have been stretched to show the subtle differences in materials that cover the icy surface of Europa.

photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov...

This is a "true color" image:
Europa


There does seem there may be a salty ocean under the ice of Europa. We don't know for certain if this liquid ocean exists, how deep it may be, how salty it is, or what kind of salts it is made up of. The presence of liquid water increases the possibility that life may have developed on Europa but it is purely speculative to go beyond that. I'm willing to accept speculation but I don't think there is any "connection" between Antarctica and Europa.

[edit on 9/17/2009 by Phage]

Originally posted by DaMod
Do you think there is any possible connection (even indirect) between the bacteria discovered here and what we see on Europa?

"Blood Falls" red color comes from rust (iron oxide).

Europa's brownish cracks may be mineral materials, but I don't know if they are caused by rust.


[edit on 9/17/2009 by Soylent Green Is People]

nai.nasa.gov...

Scroll down to "Survival Strategies".

any signs or evidence of similar "blood falls" on other planets or moons we've sent probes to?

a link between this kind of thing and similar phenomena elsewhere in the solar system could prove to be pivotal evidence.

Originally posted by longfade

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by Extralien

 

I'm sure you'll find people who deny it because of their religious convictions. You'll find people that deny it out of ignorance. Are these the "we's" you were talking about? Because you will not find scientists asserting anything like it.

Come on, man. Are you really pretending not to understand what the OP meant? Where did he say, or even intimate, that the "we" in this context refers to the scientific community. Seems to me that, yes, this is a subject that 'bugs the hell out of you' but that's no reason to distort the intended meaning of the OP, put words in his mouth, and take such an adversarial position.

I agree, it's completely off putting.

Second line goes here.