A sea on Mars?

[Blackfin]

Well, apparently NASA found one, with pictures from the orbiting Mars Express. The theory goes that a catastrophic event released a great deal of liquid water at some point, which flooded the basins and formed pack ice. Later, dust drifted down and covered the pack ice, preventing sublimation. I think this is rather interesting, personally. I mean, if the first step towards life were prions, viruses, and viroids, what about endospores of primitive microorganisms in this frozen sea? Possible, certainly. There's a link below with the full article.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4285119.stm

[us.2u]

http://www.spacedaily.com/ more on the sea of Mars I hope this helps......us.2u

[Ophiolite]

I mean, if the first step towards life were prions, viruses, and viroids, what about endospores of primitive microorganisms in this frozen sea?

Yes and no. There are three ways of viewing this and life on Mars in general.

 

1. Life has never existed on Mars so we will not find anything even in a conveinently frozen sea. This is probably a minority view.

2. Life existed on Mars in the remote past, when Mars was young and warm and wet. This sea 'froze out' only recently (five million years ago), so there will be no bitoic relics to be found in it. A majority view.

3. Life exists on Mars today, as evidence by the Viking labelled release experiments and the anomalous concentrations of methane. Therfore evidence of this life may be found in this sea - but it will be much more evident, and alive, in other locales. A minority view, but one that I subscribe to.

[Newtonian]

I too like the methane anomaly,it may be completely natural.But i wait with fingers crossed,that Vittorio's detection of formaldehyde with the PFS, demonstrates a biological origin.

[us.2u]

What I do wonder if the sea on Mars was ever active & not frozen? or pherhaps one day maybe it will be active especially with the rate of technological resources we have to-day...maybe Earth scientists can make Mars habitable & hospitable but if past intelligent life did ever exist on Mars would that put the religious factor out of the window; or invite a new meaning to religon? all points of view greatly appreciated...us.2u

[syntax252]

I wonder if it isn't at least possible that this sea is not completely frozen solid.

 

If it is deep enough, isn't it possible that there could be liquid water at depth? We have places in our oceans where, through geo-thermal activity, the water is really quite hot around these flumes of--what? Lava?

 

Couldn't the same thing be taking place on Mars if these seas were deep enough?

[us.2u]

Maybe Syntax 252 even in our own oceans life exist at extremely cold tempratures according to various references I have....it makes me wonder if life is older than our own planet....us.2u

[Guest Eddie]

it was not NASA but ESA who fond the sea

[Syd]

I wouldn't be suprised is there's water on Mars, Moon or Titan or anywhere else. H2O is a simple compound,so I belive that it's quite common in the universe. But its a long way from water to life. Who knows, maybe life can exist without water?

[us.2u]

I've got reference as to water on othere planets & moons Syd I'll post them to you when I've found them proberly tomorrow but I think there all frozen...us.2u

[Ophiolite]

I wonder if it isn't at least possible that this sea is not completely frozen solid.

Unfortunately, Syntax, it's a very shallow sea.