Mars Curiosity Rover Finds Proof of Flowing Water

[GONNAFISTYA]

NASA reveals unprecedented on-the-ground evidence: telltale pebbles and gravel

Scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, announced Thursday that water—fast-running and relatively deep—once coursed over Mars's now bone-dry surface, a finding based on the presence of rounded pebbles and gravel near the rover's landing site in Gale Crater.

What's more, the researchers estimate that the water was present for thousands to millions of years.

[andyman]

thousands to millions of years eh?

[xer0s]

lol, tens to zillions!

[xer0s]

But this is very cool. Can't wait till they find some microbes...

[Tsakali]

that should fly in the face of all the morons who still clinch to the idea that this planet, ergo themselves are sooooo special.

bring on the fossils

[Whiskey 7]

that should fly in the face of all the morons who still clinch to the idea that this planet, ergo themselves are sooooo special.

bring on the fossils

...... and that will be an interesting day indeed

[Eraser]

The reli nuts will spin things their way. Have done so for centuries. But we're not that far yet.
Didn't Oppertunity discover these rounded pebbles a few years back as well?

[Psyche911]

Not sure why you think this indicates there was life. Just water, one of many requirements for life (as we know it).

However, if they did find fossils, I think it would be a much, much bigger deal than you suggest. The chances of life forming, separately, on two planets so close to one another seems rather minuscule to me. It seems much more likely that the two would share the same source, like a comet. *X-Files theme*

The only alternative that immediately comes to mind, is that a catastrophic impact actually chipped part of one of the planets off after life had already begun, and some of the debris carried life to the other planet. There is a theory this is how the moon was formed, but that would have been about 4.5 billion years ago. Almost a billion years before life formed here. So, in this scenario, that would suggest we're all Martians.

[Tsakali]

ffs dude, there are sextillions of stars that are made from exactly the same elements as ours, and that only makes up about 1/10th of the overall star flavors. And even if you are to assume that G type stars are the only ones capable of souping up life worthy environments, WTF makes you think this solar system is special?

This is how it's going.

We are special.. our planet is special...our solar system is special....

next thing you know our galaxy will be found as "special"....

[Psyche911]

s...sarcasm? are you there?

[Tsakali]

pro tip: the universe is special.

[Eraser]

It seems much more likely that the two would share the same source, like a comet. *X-Files theme*

read: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 215607.htm

[Whiskey 7]

pro tip: the universe is special.

pro tip 2: We are all special

and I was reminded of the habitable zone in our Solar System






source

[Psyche911]

read: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 215607.htm

Most of that article wasn't too helpful, but then there's this:

"Previous analyses of comet dust samples returned to Earth by a NASA spacecraft eliminated any doubt that amino acids do occur in comets."

First I've hard of that being confirmed. Good to know.

There is a theory that water was deposited on Earth by comets: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deuterium

This is the cool part: "Because deuterium is destroyed in the interiors of stars faster than it is produced, and because other natural processes are thought to produce only an insignificant amount of deuterium, it is presently thought that nearly all deuterium found in nature was produced in the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago, and that the basic or primordial ratio of hydrogen-1 (protium) to deuterium (about 26 atoms of deuterium per million hydrogen atoms) has its origin from that time."

That could be the origins of the water in our oceans, brought here by comets. Pretty damn cool if you ask me.

[MKJ]

this. is awesome.

[mrd]

Very cool stuff. Makes you wonder, if water (or some other fluid) was flowing over the surface.... where did it all go? I know Mars has a fairly thin atmosphere and it gets pretty hot during the day. Seems plausible that the water may have evaporated into space over time (would gravity allow this?), but then you have to think what would have caused the atmosphere to go from a stable one where water was possibly flowing for a long time, to one where water can just escape into space? Bah... shit boggles the mind.

I think this type of stuff can best be summed up by a comment a friend of mine made whilst wasted on acid once: "Space is dope."

[Tsakali]

when mars lost it's magnetic field, it lost its atmosphere , water... everything that matters to life. Without that field, Radiation from the sun destroyed everything. Why did it lose it's magnetic field? Mars is relatively small, its core eventually cooled down and without that molten center to generate "electro"magnetic forces through its interaction with the upper layers, the whole place turned into a dump.

[scared?]

will also happen to earth in 3...2...1...

[mrd]

when mars lost it's magnetic field, it lost its atmosphere , water... everything that matters to life. Without that field, Radiation from the sun destroyed everything. Why did it lose it's magnetic field? Mars is relatively small, its core eventually cooled down and without that molten center to generate "electro"magnetic forces through its interaction with the upper layers, the whole place turned into a dump.

This makes sense. Never knew that, actually. Earth isn't terribly larger than Mars... I wonder if our core will cool down before the Sun envelops us

Kinda crazy when you think of all the forces at play on a planet like ours. Quite a balancing act.

[Tsakali]

My explanation is somewhat simplified. It's not all about size, but the percentages of what each one of these planets are made out of, their personal experiences through time, etc. But yeah over all , the core solidified and everything went down hill from there.

[Tsakali]

Also, mars is further away from the sun, so it would naturaly it had less heat input than us.

[GONNAFISTYA]

The condensed version is that Mars is tectonically dead so that didn't help matters.

[MKJ]

I wonder if our core will cool down before the Sun envelops us

Contrary to popular belief, our sun can't supernova. A star needs a mass of 1.5 times that of our sun. It'll just eventually die out, quite unspectacular I'm afraid.

[Doombrain]

Correct, however our sun will still envelop Earth in it's dying days as it loses its mass. No one said it would go nova, only mega massive huge suns go nova.

[MKJ]

point, it probably will when it goes red giant.