Monday, March 4, 2002

Mars probe finds evidence of water. Just days after it began its mapping mission, the Mars Odyssey spacecraft detects what appears to be water ice just below the surface. [BBC News: sci/tech] There is ice on Mars. So what does this mean. In my experience where there is water you will find microorganisms. If any of that water is aqueous, then it is almost certain there are microbes on Mars -- even at temperatures below 0°C you can find microenvironments that contain water. You can then imagine what this may mean for the past when Mars was warmer. It is even possible that life evolved on Mars and then made its way through space to Earth. 12:24:24 PM

Old plant smells record. A creosote bush - a plant that gives off a strong aroma when wet - is one of the oldest living things on the planet. [BBC News: sci/tech] The bushes are thought to be over 11,600 years old. It would be interesting to look at their cell biology and determine how they have been able to survive that long. 12:13:11 PM