3.4 Billion Year Old Fossils

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dr. Terence Meaden on August 22, 2011 at 5:25am

Fine progress in scientific research such as this is always good to hear. Thanks for posting, John

Permalink Reply by The Secular One on August 22, 2011 at 7:35am

The associated bacteria would have lived on an Earth that had no oxygen and, according to the researchers, would probably have metabolized sulphur. In that they would have survived in an oxygen free environment their existence lends credibility to the proposition that microbiological life has been supported on Mars.

 

We already know that anaerobic bacteria can exist in environments without oxygen, they exist right now inside of us!  I don't know how fossils of something we already knew existed, just a little older than we knew about, would say anything about life on Mars.  Then again, this is just more of that fine science reporting from those sources like Discovery *facepalm*

They are also ignoring the part where Mars has almost no atmosphere, and no magnetic field so it is constantly dosed with extremely high levels of radiation.  Find me a bacteria that flourishes in vacuum and hard radiation and then we'll talk about life on Mars.

Cool find, but the Mars bit is just senseless hype.

Permalink Reply by Tom Sarbeck on August 22, 2011 at 5:03pm

Tenuous connections?

A human mind (natural intelligence) has no problem with them and they lead to all kinds of useful and non-useful things.

A computer (artificial intelligence) has a serious problem with them. Try telling a computer how to make them AND recognize those that may lead to something...or to anything.

 

Permalink Reply by John Jubinsky on August 22, 2011 at 5:03pm

just a little older than we knew about: Very interesting perspective.

 

I don't think anybody implied that "lending credibility" meant "strongly suggests".

Incidentally, that's a fascinating icon you have.