[URL]http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre77k1te-us-fossils-life/[/URL]
[QUOTE]LONDON, Aug. 21, 2011 (Reuters) — Scientists have found Earth's oldest fossils in Australia and say their microscopic discovery is convincing evidence that cells and bacteria were able to thrive in an oxygen-free world more than 3.4 billion years ago.
The finding suggests early life was sulphur-based -- living off and metabolizing sulphur rather than oxygen for energy -- and supports the idea that similar life forms could exist on other planets where oxygen levels are low or non-existent.
"Could these sorts of things exist on Mars? It's just about conceivable. This evidence is certainly encouraging and lack of oxygen on Mars is not a problem," said Martin Brasier of Oxford University, who worked on the team that made the discovery.
The microfossils, which the researchers say are very clearly preserved and show precise cell-like structures, were found in a remote part of western Australia called Strelley Pool.
In a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience on Sunday, Brasier's team explained that the tiny fossils were preserved between the quartz sand grains of the oldest shoreline known on Earth in some of the oldest sedimentary rocks ever discovered.
"We can be very sure about the age as the rocks were formed between two volcanic successions that narrow the possible age down to a few tens of millions of years," he said. "That's very accurate indeed when the rocks are 3.4 billion years old."
The sky would have been cloudy and grey, keeping the heat in even though the sun would have been weaker than today, and the oceans would have been around 40-50 degrees Celsius -- the temperature of a hot bath.
Most significantly, there was very little oxygen around since there were no plants or algae to photosynthesize and produce it, Brasier explained in a telephone interview.
"It's a rather hellish picture," he said. "Not a great place for the likes of us. But for bacteria, all of this was wonderful. In fact, if you were to invent a place where you wanted life to emerge, the early Earth is exactly right."
The researchers are now using the techniques and approaches they used in this study to re-examine other fossil finds that scientists have suggested may also contain evidence for very early life on Earth
[/QUOTE]
Didn't we already know there were microorganisms on Mars?
[QUOTE=SNNS-SEAN;31870953]Didn't we already know there were microorganisms on Mars?[/QUOTE]
No, if we knew that there wouldn't be any debate about life in space.
:downs:
[QUOTE=SNNS-SEAN;31870953]Didn't we already know there were microorganisms on Mars?[/QUOTE]
oh my god did you read a single word of the article.
[QUOTE=SNNS-SEAN;31870953]Didn't we already know there were microorganisms on Mars?[/QUOTE]
Did you even read the article?
They found a fossil in Australia that could survive without any oxygen, prompting them to believe that life on Mars is even more plausible.
I never really thought there was a big debate about life in space seeing how there's plenty of even earth-like planets out there and asteroids carry amino acids. The big questions is whether there's [i]intelligent[/i] or sapient life out there we could actually drink fine tea and exchange terrible poetry with.
Is this kind of microorganism that exists without oxygen really that new? I thought we discovered those in the deep seas long ago. Not sure if that was the same kind that lives off Black Smokers tho...
I also thought we knew that since water once existed on mars, oxygen did as well, making it very possible there was once life up there. Question is whether there can still be life up there without liquid water, which due to its chemical properties is a key element in carbon-based life as we know it. Some people think stuff may live beneath Europa's ice if the pressure allows for water to enter the liquid state, but I don't think this would apply to the ice on Mars since Europa is experiencing extreme forces from Jupiter that change a lot.
Then again, my knowledge may very well be outdated.
Microfossils from mars were discovered 10 years ago.
[QUOTE=Rick Ross;31871259]Microfossils from mars were discovered 10 years ago.[/QUOTE]
When you say something that absolutely destroys our conception of the universe you should always post a source.
[URL="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/oldest-microfossils-hail-from-34-billion-years-ago-raise-hopes-for-life-on-mars/2011/08/19/gIQAHK8UUJ_story.html"][/URL][URL="http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2009/11/30/fossilized-bacteria-point-life-mars/"][U]But thats okay I did it for you[/U][/URL]
We're now pretty much certain those are just gas pockets.
[QUOTE=Rick Ross;31871259]Microfossils from mars were discovered 10 years ago.[/QUOTE]
We haven't found any evidence of life in space as of yet, it's pretty certain there is but we haven't found it yet.
[QUOTE=SNNS-SEAN;31870953]Didn't we already know there were microorganisms on Mars?[/QUOTE]
Read the article.
This isn't a new idea. I guess it's more proof though.
This is pretty cool.
I'm really fucking interesting in the planet in the Gilese galaxy that is almost exactly like Earth and can most likely harvest life
And then we colonize the planet hundreds of years from now. We then add an atmosphere and a stable environment for life.
And then the Dirt Worms come....the massive Dirt Worms.... :tinfoil:
What's facepunch's opinion on Maranomolyresearch.com?
[QUOTE=Meeps;31872244]This is pretty cool.
I'm really fucking interesting in the planet in the Gilese galaxy that is almost exactly like Earth and can most likely harvest life[/QUOTE]
a) Gliese isn't a galaxy or even star system, perhaps you meant the Gliese 581 star?
b) Gliese 581g (which I assume you're talking about) hasn't been proved to exist
c) If it does exist we don't know if it's earthlike or not
d) As above, we can't know if life exists or not on 581g
e) If you're talking about 581d, it's 7 times the size of the Earth
Mars is our new life reset button, can we colonize there now? This planet has suffered enough.
[QUOTE=valkery;31870984]Did you even read the article?
They found a fossil in Australia that could survive without any oxygen, prompting them to believe that life on Mars is even more plausible.[/QUOTE]
Didn't you know Australia banned oxygen?
Doesn't surprise me after we found life thriving in Sulfuric Acid
omg protheans
[QUOTE=KanonieR;31875605]omg protheans[/QUOTE]
You do realize all living creatures are evolved from simple life forms right?
[QUOTE=Rocko's;31873289]Mars is our new life reset button, can we colonize there now? This planet has suffered enough.[/QUOTE] No silly, we still haven't lived on the moon yet.
[QUOTE=Fort83;31873658]only if we leave religion behind[/QUOTE]
Don't start with the religion arguments, seriously.
Why couldn't they have found and released this information a few months ago?
When I had to do a whole assignment on alien life and evidence we have of it's existence.
[QUOTE=SNNS-SEAN;31870953]Didn't we already know there were microorganisms on Mars?[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=bobsmit;31871323]When you say something that absolutely destroys our conception of the universe you should always post a source.
[URL="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/oldest-microfossils-hail-from-34-billion-years-ago-raise-hopes-for-life-on-mars/2011/08/19/gIQAHK8UUJ_story.html"][/URL][URL="http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2009/11/30/fossilized-bacteria-point-life-mars/"][U]But thats okay I did it for you[/U][/URL]
We're now pretty much certain those are just gas pockets.[/QUOTE]
I was thinking of this too. I saw the story when they thought they had found micro-organism fossils, but I haven't seen any retraction. Saying that NASA was wrong obviously wasn't deemed newsworthy.
[QUOTE=KanonieR;31875605]omg protheans[/QUOTE]
Time to find the prothean technology build some awesome spaceships and find the mass relay and then have a war with the Turians.
The thread title made me think that we'd found fossils [I]on Mars[/I] from living creatures. I think I'm too optimistic for my own good.
I'd be amazed if we saw something just as small and primitive as some kind of rats or something on another planet.
[QUOTE=MrJazzy;31878398]I'd be amazed if we saw something just as small and primitive as some kind of rats or something on another planet.[/QUOTE]
Do you have have any idea how large and complex a rat is?
[QUOTE=MrJazzy;31878398]I'd be amazed if we saw something just as small and primitive as some kind of rats or something on another planet.[/QUOTE]
Calling a rat primitive is unfair. Their DNA is as complex as ours. 2.75 billion base pairs, for rats and 3.08 billion for humans.
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