Mars could have supported life

This is interesting.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25201572

The boffins have done some sums and simulations, and reckon earth might have seeded mars and a couple other gaffs with primitive life, resulting from microbe inhabited rocks being propelled from here to elsewhere after various asteroid strikes from our history.

 

That article could be a contender for GC's word of the week by using the word "Panspermia"

 

I remember when I was still young and daft enough to buy into every conspiracy theory going. A couple of my mates were talking about something they'd heard or read somewhere, which suggested that news of life outside of earth would be such a massive shock to various cultures that such news would have to be withheld and released in tiny dribs and drabs to let people slowly get used to the idea rather than doing a big announcement right up front.

I'm not going to turn into a certain infamous person, but it has crossed my mind that as the years pass, it seems interesting that so much science has gone from simply look at rocks and trying to work out the age, composition and history of objects, and seems to be more about chemistry with a view to working out if an environment could potentially support life. But then it could just be the logical progression as knowledge and technology advances.

 

Too right Brian