http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/science/space/aboard-mars-curiosity-rover-tools-to-plumb-a-methane-mystery.html
Read the article in the link above. What evidence (read entire article to be able to answer this question thoroughly) do scientists have that there is life on Mars? How is this evidence related to our chemistry class and to the scientific process? What do think about the possibility of life on Mars?
It is really facinating that the possibility that there is life on mars. The facts that the microbes could be releasing the methane, and that false test results from the past landers are very facinating.Furthermore, the fact that there might have once been water and other life giving compounds give futher evidence to support the theory. The fact that chemistry may be the final factor of proving weither life is on mars is very facinating, consitering measuring the amounts of elements in compounds are something we do in class. I am hopefully optimistic about the possibility that we are not alone.
ReplyDeleteTrever Nielsen, B-1
It is very interesting to me to read about possible life on Mars. Microbes giving out methane is definatly a stong sign that there is a possibility of some life form on Mars. They also said that there are canyons and signs of water running at one time. They said the new vehicle that is being sent to mars would not be able to see small life forms in the soil, if there were any. I sure look forward to someday hearing about a discovery that a life form has been found on Mars.
ReplyDelete-Cameron Ford
Block 2
This is a very interesting article and has many interesting propositions in the world of science. The idea that life on earth could have possibly come from marian rocks somehow is a really crazy idea and I'm shocked by the idea. also i cannot wait to see if further missions are successful in finding signs of marian life that could be producing the methane gas appearing in Mars' atmosphere. hopefully the programs planned for the future are not cancelled because there is a great possibility that by those dates technology will help reveal some answers sooner.
ReplyDeleteDavid Townsend, Block 2
after reading this article i learned that there is apossibilty of life on mars. Some are saying that there could be new marian life, microbes might be producing methane gas. This type of science relates to our everyday chemistry because chemistry appears to be in everything. Methane is a gas that is comonly used and found in chemistry.Life on mars sounds some what crazy, but reasonable. It will be very interesting to get back the results of this new discovery!
ReplyDeleteHeidi Hemenway
This article is very interesting, it shows how we don't know much about the universe. It is also very fascinating that there is a chance there is life up there. Finding that microbes might be creating methane gas is just a boost to the possibility of life up there. Hopefully they will discover something new, if so it could mean many new things and maybe much needed money to spend for space exploration.
ReplyDelete-Kyle Clayton Block:2
I have always been intrigued when hearing about life on mars. I also think it is a really good idea to send another rover to mars to discover anything new that we do not know about yet. Although they don't expect to find anything big on Mars, something as simple as methane being detected can be very exciting and open many doors in the world of science. This could possibly mean we are the descendents of martians! It is cool to think that I have already learned so much about methane in my chemistry class and now it is possibly on another planet? It is fascinating to me. The launching of "Curiosity" is going to be a very exciting event and hopefully more rovers will be launched in the future if they are not cancelled. I believe that we should do everything we can to try to discover new life on another planet.
ReplyDeleteKelly Harris
Block 1
The fact that we may have found a planed that may have contained life is fasinating, and that theres a theory that we may have been decendents from that planet is Mindblowing. The missions to find life on mars is just a fasinating idea and hopefuly some day we could send a maned mission to mars.
ReplyDelete-Chris Schmidt Blk: 1
This article to read was exceptionally interesting. Learning that we found traces of Methane gas on Mars is a great discovery along with little water. This can all lead back to the theory about life on Mars. Hopefully taking up the "Curiosity" will answer some questions that scientists are still asking today. This methane gas can relate to our chemistry class because we are learning about it and how we can measure the amounts of it in compounds. Hopefully one day we will find out more answers and say that we are not the only things living in this universe.
ReplyDelete-Brittany Thomas
I found it fascinating that scientists have found enough evidence through chemistry on Mars to believe that life could not only be supported there, but that humans could be descended from "Martians." I sincerely hope that the Obama Administration does not cancel the voyages scheduled for 2016 and 2018, as I think that they could lead to important discoveries as to life on other planets and if humans could survive on Mars. It is amazing that chemistry, which I am learning right now, lead to this discovery, as scientists used the process of analyzing chemicals and their reactions to make this discovery.
ReplyDelete- Emily Zentner, Block 1
Its very interesting to think the there are other life forms in the universe. And i never knew yoou could relate Methane gas to living organisms like that. Its crazy to think that humans have lived on Earth for many many years and we have barely found an other life for. And it would be very cool if we found out there were other living organisms out there besides us. I hope that this doesnt not get canceled. it would be a horrilbe lose to us all.
ReplyDeleteSavanna Snyder Block 2
I think that it is very cool that we are able to land robots on mars and receive information about what that planet is like. It is very interesting to think that life could exist on other planets other than Earth. It is even more interesting that they have found samples on mars that could lead to finding life forms or knowing that there once were living things on mars. It is sad to think that mars and the rest of the universe can not be explored as much as many people would want because of cost. I hope that scientists keep exploring are universe.
ReplyDeleteJordan B BLK 1
Scientists have several different pieces of evidence that life may indeed exist on Mars today. Firstly, it is already known that life did exist on Mars in the past. Secondly, water still flows on Mars, leading to the possibility of the existence of some extremely tough water-inhabiting species. Finally, methane has been detected in Mars' atmosphere, and as methane is easily dispersed by the sun, it must have been put there recently. A possible answer is that a species of non-oxygen breathing microbes is releasing the methane. This particular piece of evidence really relates to our chemistry clas because without chemistry, it would have been impossible to gain this piece of evidence in the first place! The amount of methane in the atmosphere, being able to survive without water, and releasing methane due to some sort of chemical reaction all have to do with chemistry too. I personally feel that the possibility of life on Mars is intriguing, as it opens the possibility of there being other planets habitable by man, and the possibility of other life somewhere in the universe. If we find life on Mars, the research done could provide insight as to how life was started on Earth as well. All in all, the discovery of life on Mars would be a discovery for the ages that would open many new doors for mankind.
ReplyDeleteI thought that this article was very interesting. The thought that life on mars could be so possible that they launched a shuttle to research it is crazy. The fact that methane was found on mars is incredible becuase it is easily broken apart by UV rays. This chemistry discovery could open many doors to discovering life on mars. I am fascinated by space and I wish I would of known about the launch of Curosity when I was in Florida because I would of loved to see it.
ReplyDelete-Janelle Rios Block 2
According to this article, Scientists have been researching the possibility of life on Mars for several years. I think it is cool to see that through their research they were able to come up with some evidence that prove that life may exist. For example, methane gas was detected in the Martian air even though its molecules are affected by the sun’s ultraviolet light. By exploring the past geology and climate of Mars, Scientists were able to come up with some evidence that shows that water may occasionally flow on Mars. Other evidence shows that a stream of radioactive carbon dioxide was found rising from the soil on Mars. This evidence is related to our chemistry class because we have learned how methane gas and other chemical compounds affect our planet. It is very interesting to read that life could have originally started on Mars. Hopefully, I will be able to see the discovery of life on Mars in my lifetime.
ReplyDeleteJosh Smith Block 2
there is thin methane air on mars which had been detected and compared to cows on earth that also give off methane, it was recently released into the air,which in a way could help prove there is life on mars. NASA has been sending up probes to check out mars. And since mars is smaller than earth it does cool faster. and chemistry helps us out because it helps us make materials to equip the rovers on mars so they can last longer and give us data about mars
ReplyDelete-Maddy Young Block 1
Although there was many different thoughts on life on Mars i think that it is cool that scientists have finally got a little evidence of life. Another thing that i think is awesome is that this is related to chemistry because of chemistry they were able to investigate and observe Mars. The one thing that i dont like is that many peaces of evidence has shown up but nobody has actually seen a "alien."
ReplyDelete-David Campbell Block 1
Discovering methane, a product in Earth's atmosphere ,is a major discovery. this could possibly lead to life on mars. scientist use chemistry to detect the methane by creating rovers that take sample from mars and then break it down (decomposition) to find all of its composition
ReplyDeleteThe thought that there could be life on another planet really expands my thinking. The evidence that proves that there is a thin layer of methane gas on mars may be a milestone in understanding how our galaxy has come to be and how it functions now. This topic is really exciting and I am glad we are making advancements in this field.
ReplyDelete-Adam Tricomo Block 1
They found methane on mars and that may lead them to finding life in space. Chemistry helps us because without it, we wouldn't have been able to get up there in the first place and we wouldn't have known what we were finding in the first place.
ReplyDelete-Danni Hicks
Block 1
There is a definate possibility that there is life on Mars. The microbes releasing methane is great evidence that there could be life on mars. The fact that they have found samples on mars that could prove there is life on another planet is very interesting. This relates to chemistry because it can show us how chemicals like methane affect planets. Chemistry can help discover life on Mars. Finding new life forms on other planets would be very interesting!
ReplyDelete-Amanda Shelley Block 1
I thought that this article was very interesting. There could be methane on mars which can help to discover/prove that there really is life on mars. There was a discovery of methane on mars even though the molecules in methane gas are effected by ultraviolet (UV) rays. The methane gas was from Martians. This article relates to chemistry because NASA, can use chemistry to create equipment that could store and report facts/data to us about mars. These equipment/machines that are made can also last longer.
ReplyDelete-Lindsey Biles
This article is very interesting. The findings of methane on mars, is a sign that there could be life. Other evidence shows that a stream of radioactive carbon dioxide was found rising from the soil on Mars. Which is another sign. We have sent robots to mars, but not yet a human. Sooner or later maybe a human could go up there. That would be very cool if we found life on mars.
ReplyDeleteAmber Tobiasz 2
This article is about scientists searching for signs of life on mars. This search has continued on for the past several years and is widely known around the world. Discovering life on another planet would mean countless advances in science but they have been limited due to inadequate technology. So far we have sent robots to Mars but no humans. Some examples of evidence pointing towards life on mars in this article were methane gas assumed to have come from martians,possible occasional flowing of water, and radioactive carbon dioxide rising from the soil. This is relevant and significant to our chemistry class because life on mars is chemistry and we can use our knowledge of elements found to predict and continue our search for life on mars.
ReplyDelete-Sydney Bonino Block 2
I, for one, am very fascinated by the fact that there could be alien life on mars. Even very simple life forms could show promise for more complex life potentially living there. The fact that the samples that were heated to deadly temperatures did not release methane gas is very promising, because that shows that something happened to 'kill' whatever process was creating the methane gas. Water, of course, is a different problem, but then they've discovered the potential of that there too! Very promising.
ReplyDeleteGabi Roberts Block 2
Scientists have found proof of methane rising from mars this has potential to be some sort of life form on mars. this is relevent to chemistry because they are predicting what types of life forms there will be if there is any by using our knowledge of elements and temperature pressure gas basically everything from chemistry to find answers about whether or not there is or was life on mars.
ReplyDelete~ Katie Richards Block 2
Scientists have recently discovered deposits of methane gas on mars. They believe that the prodoction of mathane gas is likely to be a result of some form a life on mars extruding it into its atmosphere. Also, through previous expaditions to mars, traces of water have been found in the form of features on the land resembling water beds, creeks, and streams. Leading scientists to conclude that where there is water there is life. This strongly relates to chemistry because the knowledge needed to decipher and make conclusions about these things all relate to the fact that knowing how and why things occur in nature all relate to chemical reactions and elements. The scientific process is also very crucial in this discovery because through process of educated guessing and checking, scientists were able to draw conclusions on the research they conducted and make predictions of what they think likely occured. I think this article was fascinating, but also contradicting to our current economic situation. It suprises me how high ranking scientists and highly educated people are willing to send a S.U.V. sized probe up to Mars for a cost reaching high into the billions and possibly trillions when we are currently in a deep recession. I would like to see that extrememly large amount of money used to further our economy rather than take a gamble on a possibility of life on some big rock from trillions of years ago in a location millions of lightyears away. I don't see the benefit of knowing whether or not little green men lived on a planet that we thought uninhabitable billions of years ago. Thats what I think.
ReplyDeleteI think that is very fascinating that there could potentially be life on mars. For one, it would be a great scientific discovery, and two, we could possibly be able to study their being. Also, I did not know that methane gas was ever related to life whatsoever. Chemistry allows us to explore and examine other planets and areas, which is a great advantage. Hopefully we are able to continue the quest in the future.
ReplyDeleteThe scientists at NASA have claimed to have detected methane in Mars’s atmosphere. This would mean that life certainly could have arisen there. These scientists to prove their discovery had to send many different space craft’s to find if methane was present in Mar’s Atmosphere. This demonstrates part of the scientific process because they need to test there hypothesis to make sure there data is correct. I think that if they can find evidence of water on mars then I believe that there could possibly be life on mars.
ReplyDelete-Hunter Crawford Block 2
The search for life on mars has been the huge question for centuries. Now that we have the technology we can finally bring that question to rest. Scientists have found both Ice and methane on the surface of Mars. Ice indicates that there once was water on the surface of mars this explanes why there are great canyons that are bigger than the grand canyon here on Earth. The Methane indicates waste from living creatures. This is related to our class because there are little clues that are on mars that show the basics of life. These clues are analyzed just like our class to get a conclusion. Life could still be on Mars or the methane is just coming from waste that has been sitting for millions of years and is slowly decomposing. But I think that there still could still be life in the ice caps. That is just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThanks for listening
Nathan LaFrance
This article states that there was supposedly signs of life on mars; signs of methane gas and water. I think that there could be a possibility of life on Mars, but I honestly think that it is somewhat a beleif because we want there to be life. We want to beleive we aren't the only ones out here, but if we haven't found it yet i dont know when we will. This relates to our lives because there are little chemical clues to life supposedly being on Mars. Without chemistry we wouldn't be able to compare these different elements.
ReplyDelete-Ashley Wallington
It is crazy to think that there is life on another planet this means there is way more to be discovered about places other than earth... we might possible be able to live on another planet. if it wasnt for chemistry none of this information would even be know about the methane gass that could possibly show that there was previous life on mars and maybe there is now... -mario margherita blk1
ReplyDeleteIt sort of makes sense that there either has been or is still life on Mars. There is so much evidence on Mars of past life. Like the canyons and proof of water, the water itself that occasionally runs throughout and the gasses like methane that are byproducts of life. It would be really interesting to see these explorations continued because learning about the chemistry and the scientific history of Mars could substantially help the research and exploration of our own world.
ReplyDelete-Madi Newman block 1
If there is water and methane gas on Mars, there is no reason to assume that there COULDN'T be life on Mars, or even other planets, now or in the not so distant past. As others have said there are deep crevices on Mars' surface which, with this new discovery, we can infer that those indentations were once filled with water. Also methane gas indicates waste of some kind, which causes us to inquire where the waste came from. Obviously, there's a lot more to discover, but this could be a first step towards finding non-"human" life. However, another question to ask is if we want any communication with non-worldly life. Stephen Hawking once said that there IS undoubtedly non-human life in the universe, and that we should make no attempt at making contact. So while this is a groundbreaking discovery, we really need to think about WHAT we're going to do with it.
ReplyDeleteThere could be life on Mars if you assumed so because of the reported data. We now know that there has been water found on Mars also methane gas. Many want to believe that we are not the only ones in the universe, so we look for answers or evidence that there could be other life forms beyond our own. Now we can explore a new world with evidence and hope for some. Lets just hope the possible life on Mars is not like the movie "Mars Attacks"!
ReplyDeleteKayla Garcia Block 1
Scientists have found methane rising from mars, so they think there may be life on mars or there used to be. They have also found dry lakebeds, creeks, and deep canals that may have used to be filled with water. This is related to our chemistry class and the scientific process, bc NASA has to go through the process of making a predication, gathering materials, sending them up into space to gather information and observe the area, and then the probes come back and NASA studies them to gain evidence of life. I believe that there could have been life on mars from all the research I have done, but I think it's crazy to think that we came from Martians.
ReplyDeleteBen Beadles Block 2
In the future living on Mars could be a possibility with the discovery of water and methane gas. A strong percentage of the people on Earth believe that there is other life than us in the universe. With these finds it will be a bit easier for us to explore other planets and find life out there other than us.
ReplyDeleteDavid Mowbray bk. 2
The idea that their was life on mars at one point in time is not incomprehensible. Deep canyons show that their once may have been water on the planet. Methane gas is a sign that their may be life on Mars. Chemistry allows these scientist discover and analyze these new discovery's. Although it may seem as if everything in our solar system has been discovered there are many things that may loom in the shadows and is a reason to never stop using chemistry and exploring new things.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is very interesting that they found methane fas on mars and there could be life on mars. We always thought that we were the only living thing in the universe but that could change if they find life. With out chemistry we would be clueless about this all but with it we can find out so much cool new information.
ReplyDelete-Marissa Pontius Block 2