20-12-2004 02:10									#61
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Infectious bacteria are extremely specialized life-forms. While you might see them jump from similar organism, a bacterium that eats oil, for example, won't cause harm to a human. All infections organisms have specific specializations to get past life's natural defenses. Alien microscopic life if highly unlikely to have just the right amino acid strcutures or enzymes to evade our defenses and infect us.

	20-12-2004 02:13									#62
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Hell, it wouldn't recognize us.

Plus, there isn't any reason there would BE infectious bacteria on Mars - what would they infect?

	20-12-2004 02:14									#63
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Exactly.

	20-12-2004 02:15									#64
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Now single-celled protozoa can be dangerous, even though they aren't designed to be infectious. There aren't any of those on Mars.

	20-12-2004 02:15									#65
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I think the RED planet should be renamed Marx.

	20-12-2004 02:16									#66
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Why name it after a loser?

Might as well name it Planet Dukakis, for all that matters.

	20-12-2004 02:37									#67
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quote: Originally posted by alva [let's say there are microbes out there] They could travel on asteroids too, not need to get paranoid over this...

Any samples from Mars should be handled with extreme care.
Not to avoid contimating yourself, but to avoid contaminating the samples.

	20-12-2004 02:40									#68
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Obviously.

	20-12-2004 05:22									#69
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But those bacteria don't necessarily have to attack us to be dangerous, do they? How about bacteria that do nasty things to water or oxygen? They'd be very limited on Mars, simply because there's little water. On Earth they could explode because of the sheer abundance of it and wreak havoc on the environment.

	20-12-2004 05:25									#70
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Any Martian bacteria would likely be very slow metabolizing critters, so runaway pop growth shouldn't be a problem.

	20-12-2004 05:44									#71
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quote: Originally posted by Flandrien Any samples from Mars should be handled with extreme care. Not to avoid contimating yourself, but to avoid contaminating the samples.

Notice the word 'paranoid'.

	20-12-2004 05:46									#72
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quote: Originally posted by Giancarlo OMFG.. so it is true.. not. *opens DVD for Mars Attack, the worst movie ever, tosses it in garbage*

that movie rocked!

	20-12-2004 05:58									#73
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quote: Originally posted by chegitz guevara Any Martian bacteria would likely be very slow metabolizing critters, so runaway pop growth shouldn't be a problem.

Rate of metabolism isn't usually hardcoded for microbes but rather depends upon availbility of nutrients and the efficiency of their enzymes. On the other hand, it seems probable that the martian microbes would be fairly heat intolerant since temperatures never exceed 60 farenheit on mars.

The real reason I can't see them being a serious threat is that they've had so long to hitch a ride on an asteroid and contaminate earth already.

	20-12-2004 05:59									#74
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quote: Originally posted by Mercator But those bacteria don't necessarily have to attack us to be dangerous, do they? How about bacteria that do nasty things to water or oxygen? They'd be very limited on Mars, simply because there's little water. On Earth they could explode because of the sheer abundance of it and wreak havoc on the environment.

Why would they do that?

They'd probably die just because of our atmosphere's conditions.

	20-12-2004 16:17									#75
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quote: Originally posted by Kuciwalker Why would they do that? They'd probably die just because of our atmosphere's conditions.

absolutely! An oxgen atmosphere is deadly to just about any microbe that hasn't evolved elaborate mechanisms for dealing with it. I should have thought of that straight away.

	20-12-2004 16:24									#76
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btw, there are PLENTY of organism already that do "nasty things to oxygen". For example, humans. Can you believe it - we turn oxygen into carbon dioxide! And don't get me started on what plants do to water

Assuming anything COULD have an impact, it would simply be another link in the cycles of various elements.

	20-12-2004 16:25									#77
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quote: Originally posted by Kuciwalker btw, there are PLENTY of organism already that do "nasty things to oxygen". For example, humans. Can you believe it - we turn oxygen into carbon dioxide! And don't get me started on what plants do to water

	20-12-2004 17:47									#78
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I know
But when humans have introduced new species in some place, that often had a big effect on the environment. Couldn't an exploding alien microbe population mess up the equilibrium?

	20-12-2004 17:53									#79
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quote: Originally posted by Mercator I know But when humans have introduced new species in some place, that often had a big effect on the environment. Couldn't an exploding alien microbe population mess up the equilibrium?

In every such case the environment that the foreign organism was imported to was identical to at least a portion of the range of environments that the foreign organism was native to. There is essentially no overlap between environments on Mars and environments on Earth if you consider all the possible environmental variables.

	20-12-2004 18:51									#80
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Bah!

	21-12-2004 08:05									#81
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I see my sarcastic nutjob tone set the pace of this thread well.

That aside. The thousands of km of Tubes have not been explained.

Nor have any of the other anomalies.

quote: btw, there are PLENTY of organism already that do "nasty things to oxygen". For example, humans. Can you believe it - we turn oxygen into carbon dioxide! And don't get me started on what plants do to water

Kind of funny. I read a sci-fi book about martian microbes that fed on water and expelled toxic gasses. And in the book the microbes made it to earth and started armaggedon. There was no defense against it. Within a decade all freshwater lakes and oceans had been dried out and humans fled underground and too a moon base (in the book). I think they based a Outer Limits episode on it.

Cant remember the book name tho.

Im a huge space and sci-fi nut
edit
Also- OMFG DIDNT THE ESA HUYGENS PROBE DETACH ITSELF TODAY FROM CASSINI???? Pictures of Titans surface in -3 weeks!!!! We have seen the surface of Venus (God bless the ruskies) the moon, Mars and soon titan!

	21-12-2004 08:24									#82
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What tubes? What anomalies?

	21-12-2004 08:26									#83
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just type in mars glass tubes in google

	21-12-2004 08:27									#84
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quote: Originally posted by booger Kind of funny. I read a sci-fi book about martian microbes that fed on water and expelled toxic gasses. And in the book the microbes made it to earth and started armaggedon. There was no defense against it. Within a decade all freshwater lakes and oceans had been dried out and humans fled underground and too a moon base (in the book). I think they based a Outer Limits episode on it.

There's a reason it's science fiction. Though in this case, it's just fiction, 'cuz the scenario you proposed is ridiculously impossible.

	21-12-2004 08:28									#85
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yeah, that's like saying Star Trek is plausible

	21-12-2004 08:29									#86
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quote: Originally posted by booger just type in mars glass tubes in google

I have better things to do. Why don't you tell me?

	21-12-2004 08:32									#87
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anyone who posts here does not have better things to do

	21-12-2004 08:39									#88
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no. u will just laugh. Hoagland is right. Its too dificult for those with big egos to accept the truth

	21-12-2004 08:41									#89
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Of course I'll laugh.

	21-12-2004 08:42									#90
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quote: Originally posted by booger I see my sarcastic nutjob tone set the pace of this thread well. That aside. The thousands of km of Tubes have not been explained. Nor have any of the other anomalies.

Funny, someone on Page 2 already gave a link to a page which pretty handily refutes the "glass tube" nonsense:

http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/mis.../glassworm.html

In fact, he pretty handily disposes of all the other, um, "anomalies."

Sadly, it seems the only case that is growing is that for Mars conspiracy theorists being utterly batty and in the same camp as Creationists and Flat-Earthers.