NASA's big (?) Discovery presentation today
 

Is it water on Mars, what do you guys think ?

I think they've discovered that Matt Damon was abandoned on Mars after filming The Martian on location - as they thought he was dead.

Why guess? We will know soon enough :)

Seriously, though, I hate this thing with announcing an announcement. If you know something - let us know ASAP.

Eh?
Isn't this late news about their discovery of noncarbon based organisms (cyanide) on Earth?

If it's not, I'll put stakes on the "impulse engine" that contradicts physics laws that was proved as working with tests not just by NASA we already discussed.


EDIT:
Ah now I see it, NASA promised some Mars mystery solution.
There is only one Mars mystery and it's Cydonia photos. For decades NASA refused to investigate the area. And for all I know, they still didn't, scared of what they could actually find there.

So expect just another calming down of a nation that was ignorant enough to know that War of Worlds is just a radio drama and is panichappy.
To cover the shame, there are already and will be more articles that are trying to sell the fog calling it a myth:
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/h…dcast_did.html

Flowing water on Mars, I expect.

We havent discovered non-carbon based life, Joxer. You might be thinking of the organisms that use arsenic in place of phosphorus, but they are still carbon-based.

Have to add this, most probably happening today at around 17:30 CET.

http://www.bug.hr/_cache/a04155d50a9…e7702da663.jpg

Haven't NASA already said there was water on Mars already?

Oh going by this, they found proof of salty water flowing on the surface (as theorized years ago) and that is what they are going to announce to today.

That would be amazing… let us hope so!

It was suspected that some bacteria in extreme phosphorus poor enviroments used arsenic in stead of phophorus in their DNA. (In terms of chemical properties both elements are very alike).

However it was proved that this was false. The bacteria still used phosphorus, the arsenic was present in the bacteria, but not in it's DNA.

see:
http://www.nature.com/news/arsenic-l…er-all-1.11520

Erm, I don't remember the whole thing in details, but when it was presented I found it just mildly interesting, just not as scientific breakthrough as NASA announced.
That's why I wrote wrong stuff from my (obviously fading) memory. Just cba to google for actual details.

Thank you - I hadn't seen that.

So…. flowing water on Mars.. that was it, I guess everyone already guessed it… now let us just wait until they find something living inside it!

"…And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space, because there's bugger all down here on Earth"

What, they already revealed what's the "mystery"? And it's - water?
For god's sakes. Okay, maybe those NASA staff are just obsessed with water so to them it's like revelation of Jesus.

Well, on Earth, no matter how extreme the conditions, wherever we find liquid water we find some sort of life, so this is what they're excited about.

Marvin the Martian demands we give up the location of Bugs Bunny, or he will release the Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator upon us all!

AFAIK the germs supposed to use arsen in stead of phosphorus didn't use arsen after all. Several publications have critisized the original study, and consensus seems to be that it didn't happen. They tolerate high levels of arsen, but they don't incorporate it in their nucleotides.

Pibbur who likes water on mars as well as on earth

Edit: Oops, didn't see that the dragon bear already had commented on this. Sorry.

Water is also the single biggest driver for any form of human colonization. On a cost basis its the most important factor. Kinda a big deal all the way around.

Peh. It's just another NASA fart.

I wonder if anyone, if that's even possible, will ask them for what idiotic reason they refuse to investigate Cydonia for ages now. Shall we wait for China and India to do it?