StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Is there microbial life in Mars - Research Paper Example

Cite this document
Summary
Is there microbial life in Mars? Scientists and space explorers have always taken a very keen interest in Mars or the “Red Planet”. The concept of exploration of signs of life on Mars is not new or recent…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.2% of users find it useful
Is there microbial life in Mars
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Is there microbial life in Mars"

Download file to see previous pages

Most recently, scientists have come up with new and improved evidence to support their claims of life on Mars. The experiments, discoveries and propositions put forward by the scientists over the period of time regarding life on Mars are discussed further in the paper. The signs of microbial life first came into picture when the experiments of the Labeled Release (LR) apparatus turned out to be positive. This experiment tested on a sample of Martian soil by mixing it with a drop of water constituting of nutrients and radioactive carbon atoms.

If the soil was positive for microbial life, the nutrients in the soil would be metabolized and radioactive gases such as methane or carbon dioxide would be produced. Control samples were also prepared by heating or isolating the samples that would kill any form of life if it existed. Control samples were also mixed with nutrient solutions; hence the control experiments provided a comparison. To the amusement and the excitement of the scientists, the LR experiment turned out positive for life.

“The minute the nutrients were mixed with the soil sample, you got something like 10,000 counts of radioactive molecules- a huge spike from the 50 or 60 counts that constituted the natural background radiation on Mars” (Than). These were the earliest experiments performed by the NASA scientists in pursuit of their discovery for life on Mars. Although the LR experiments turned out positive but other space probes’ experiments were negative, making the existence of microbial life on Mars skeptical.

Recently, the gas emissions on Mars have been linked to biological source. The experts believe that the chances for organisms to be a source of the gasses are quite explanatory and supportive of microbial life on Mars. The methane gas produced on the Red Planet is suspected to be produced by certain microbiological organisms. On the other hand, some scientists believe that methane can be a result of geological reasons i.e. volcanic processes. However, no active volcanoes have been discovered up till now on Mars.

This evidence and explanation strengthens the probability of microbial life on Earth. Scientists have explained that methanogens, certain organisms, release methane as a waste product which dwells in the water beneath the underground ice. According to Prof Pillinger, “The most obvious source of methane is organisms. So if you find methane in an atmosphere, you can suspect there is life” (Staff Reporters). Miller and mathematician Giorgio Bianciardi, employed a cluster analysis technique on the Viking’s data.

This technique groups together similar looking data. This analysis was performed to evaluate the realism of the experiments and investigate the outcome of the experiments. The technique turned out with two clusters; one with two active experiments and the other with five control experiments. The biological experiments from Earth sorted with the active experiments from Viking exhibiting the validity of claims of microbial life on Mars. Another finding which supports the previous LR experiments is the Martian Rhythms.

Circadian rhythms are internal clocks which can be found in every living thing, including microbes. On Earth the clock is set to 24 hour while on Mars it should be 24.7 hours, which is the duration of a Martian day. Miller noticed that the radioactive gas measurement sin the LR experiments exhibited a rhythmic rise during the day and decline during the night. The oscillations were in accordance with the Martian

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Tags
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Is there microbial life in Mars Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/biology/1456516-is-there-microbial-life-in-mars
(Is There Microbial Life in Mars Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
https://studentshare.org/biology/1456516-is-there-microbial-life-in-mars.
“Is There Microbial Life in Mars Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/biology/1456516-is-there-microbial-life-in-mars.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Is there microbial life in Mars

Chemical Andsedimentary Processes in Acidic Salinelakes and Their Significance for Martiangeology

How chemical biosignatures in amino acids can help to indicate life in mars will be examined.... hellip; These data are useful in finding out whether another planet such as mars has hosted life, or water bodies on its surface or underground.... Correlations between a terrestrial lake and the geology of mars are useful for forming analogs, and for understanding further about the other planet.... Rover missions sent to mars and consequent investigations of the evidence found from the planet, have revealed extensive geochemical evidence regarding the presence of standing bodies of water early in the history of mars....
25 Pages (6250 words) Research Paper

10 Medical Article summaries

ts severity can range from minor food poisoning or skin infections to life threatening infections such as septicemia.... microbial.... Staphylococcus Aureus: They are facultative anaerobic bacteria and are usually found as commercials.... Staphylococci are gram positive bacteria that are spherical in shape and are arranged in irregular grape like clusters… Staphylococcus Aureus: They are facultative anaerobic bacteria and are usually found as commercials....
4 Pages (1000 words) Assignment

Occupational Hygiene Survey

In this particular sawmill, there are a few job groups each with is located at different area in the plant and with different responsibilities.... Due to their difference in functions, their exposure to dust is different.... Following is a table showing the job groups. … The study was conducted in between of 10th February to 9th March, 2007....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Microbial Biofilms Issues

Assessment of the microbial biofilms begins with first and foremost sourcing and or culturing them.... The microbial biofilms can be grown in PVC microtiter plates and stained with crystal violet for invitro assessment in simplest measures as desThese could be cultured in laminar flows or alternatively turbulent flow systems.... For Visualization, traditionally electron microscopy was the method of choice to examine microbial biofilms under high resolution....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Is There Life Off Earth

According Peter Ward, co-author of "Rare Earth," it is simply a cultural supposition that life in its both simple and complex form in… The question -whether life, as it is defined on earth, is possible elsewhere in the universe- is crucially related to the condition whether this universe is able to ensure the same But even it is taken for granted that on some planets in this universe, there prevails an environment like the one on the earth, one cannot be sure of the existence of life on those planet....
5 Pages (1250 words) Term Paper

Efficiency of Microbial Fuel Cell Made from Inexpensive Materials vs Traditional Microbial Fuel Cell

The design study project will include the construction of a microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) with inexpensive materials and the electricity generation capability will be compared to the traditional MFCs which require expensive membranes like Nafion by DuPont and Platinum cathodes.... A literature review on such alternative sources of energy revealed that microbial fuel cells, which employ microorganisms to biodegrade pollutants from the environment to generate electricity, are a novel method of reclaiming natural resources along with providing a new means of generating energy....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

The Possibility of Life Elsewhere In the Universe

After the discovery of the fossil of a microorganism in the Meteorite, ALH84001 that -the scientists believe- came from Mars, they say one thing for sure that the possibility of finding microbial life in others planets outsides the Solar system is not totally impossible (NASA).... Moreover, current discoveries of several extremophiles or microbes -for an instance, microbes like “Pyrolobus fumarii” have been found to survive in a temperature of 113°C and microorganisms like “Methanococcus jannaschii” (Encyclopedia of Science) cannot tolerate Oxygen while living near hydrothermal vents 2,600 meters below sea level, under the crushing pressure of the seawater- in apparently hostile conditions enhanced the likelihood of finding microbial life in any corner of this universe (Mullen)....
6 Pages (1500 words) Research Paper

Microbes and Anti-Microbial Drugs

… The paper "Microbes and Anti-microbial Drugs" is a good example of an assignment on biology.... The paper "Microbes and Anti-microbial Drugs" is a good example of an assignment on biology.... nbsp;Microbes are living micro-organisms such as fungi, bacteria, parasites and viruses that thrive, reproduce, and spread rapidly as they multiply....
6 Pages (1500 words) Assignment
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us