Microbes.

Digit · Post by **Digit** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 9:33 am

Article in the press today states that microbes found in rocks in Oregon probably originated on Mars as they exhibit an unusual resistance to radiation.
So? If life developed on Mars, and its climate changed slowly enough, I would expect life to adapt, even to hard radiation. Darwinism in action.
Further report states that Bears in Spain are not hibernating, or should that read that they haven't hibernated yet?

Post by **Minimalist** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 10:11 am

Is there a link?

Digit · Post by **Digit** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 10:16 am

Not that I know of Min. Just two articles that I lumped together.

Post by **Minimalist** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 10:55 am

LOL.

Sorry.

I meant a web link to the stories.

My bad.

Digit · Post by **Digit** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 12:11 pm

Ooops! Sorry, I'll check, if there is I'll post it.

Digit · Post by **Digit** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 1:54 pm

No Min, not even a source. Which is fortunate for me 'cos I'm still only computer semi-literate and still working out how to persuade my computer to send attachments etc.

Post by **Minimalist** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 4:10 pm

I'll run a search for "Mars" "Oregon" and "microbes" and see what turns up.

Post by **Minimalist** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 4:13 pm

Took 0.15 seconds on Google.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6191197.stm

A handful of bacteria on Earth today have the ability to survive exposure to extremely high levels of radiation that would kill other organisms.

Now, a team of scientists argues that the bugs could only have evolved this unusual ability on a planet like Mars.

marduk · Post by **marduk** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 4:25 pm

well by that standard fruit flies and cockroaches must also have hitched a ride here from mars on meteorites

Digit · Post by **Digit** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 5:03 pm

I can't agree with that statement though Min, as Marduk points out, several Earth organisms exhibit the same ability. Either Marduk's comment must be taken at face value or the resistance the article mentions isn't distintinctive to Martian forms. Earth has been bombarded by intense radiation in the past, or so we are told, and life adapts or perishes.
They might be correct, but I think their logic is at best questionable.

Post by **Minimalist** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:22 pm

Beats me....I just posted it.

Cognito · Post by **Cognito** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 8:30 pm

Article:

A handful of bacteria on Earth today have the ability to survive exposure to extremely high levels of radiation that would kill other organisms.

Now, a team of scientists argues that the bugs could only have evolved this unusual ability on a planet like Mars.

Marduk:

well by that standard fruit flies and cockroaches must also have hitched a ride here from mars on meteorites

Marduk is correct and the "team of scientists" must not include any microbiologists. Keep placing different types of bacteria in a petri dish and expose them to high levels of radiation ... eventually, one will mutate to live through the experience and propagate to the point of filling the entire dish. It's a classic college experiment. Been there, done that.

As for cockroaches, I'm not sure anything on this earth can really kill them.

Post by **Minimalist** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 9:15 pm

As for cockroaches, I'm not sure anything on this earth can really kill them.

Works every time!

Digit · Post by **Digit** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 3:26 am

Quite Cog. If the Martian atmosphere didn't vanish over night the increasing radiation levels would have acted to select any life with higher resistance to radiation, also, the rising levels of radiation would logically have caused mutations even if none had the higher resistance to begin with. The comment in the link about 'picking up resistant genes' is lousy science.

marduk · Post by **marduk** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 6:31 am

this little fella is in the nightmares of all cockroaches
does that mean that he also came from Mars as he exists on a species that is apparently selected by a martian environment

Archaeologica.org

Microbes.

Microbes.

Bacteria