Science, Technology and Society 361: "Mars Exploration" -- Fall 2010

Friday, September 21, 2007

Possible signs of Life in Martian Soil

German researcher Joop Houtkooper of the University of Giessen, has reexamined finding from the 1976 when Viking landers. According to his findings, there may in fact be a "weird life form based on hydrogen peroxide on the subfreezing, arid Martian surface." His findings suggest that up to 0.1% of Martian soil may be biological in nature. These levels are simmilar to levels found in the Antarctic permafrost. This might suggest that interplanetary seeding from Mars to Earth or Earth to Mars might have occurred. Scientist hope to confirm Houtkooper's finding with the data that is brought back from the Phoenix Mars Lander in 2008.

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