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Thread: What if: Fossils on Mars

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    HEXUS webmaster Steve's Avatar
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    What if: Fossils on Mars

    Let's not discuss the likelihood of this happening. Instead, let's ask ourselves:

    What would happen if in the next couple of years, NASA finds fossils within the rocks of Mars?

    I'd like to think we'd stop blowing each other up as we realise the relative insignificance of our existence and unite in trying to preserve our presence in the Universe.

    But I suspect most people won't even understand how big a deal it is, and will continue to worry about things like why their friend hasn't BBM'd them about the party on Friday night.
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    Re: What if: Fossils on Mars

    I'd like to think we would push harder for a manned mission there!
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    Re: What if: Fossils on Mars

    Quote Originally Posted by Steve View Post
    But I suspect most people won't even understand how big a deal it is, and will continue to worry about things like why their friend hasn't BBM'd them about the party on Friday night.
    I'd worry they're still using a BlackBerry .
    Kalniel: "Nice review Tarinder - would it be possible to get a picture of the case when the components are installed (with the side off obviously)?"
    CAT-THE-FIFTH: "The Antec 300 is a case which has an understated and clean appearance which many people like. Not everyone is into e-peen looking computers which look like a cross between the imagination of a hyperactive 10 year old and a Frog."
    TKPeters: "Off to AVForum better Deal - £20+Vat for Free Shipping @ Scan"
    for all intents it seems to be the same card minus some gays name on it and a shielded cover ? with OEM added to it - GoNz0.

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    Re: What if: Fossils on Mars

    Quote Originally Posted by Steve View Post
    Let's not discuss the likelihood of this happening. Instead, let's ask ourselves:

    What would happen if in the next couple of years, NASA finds fossils within the rocks of Mars?

    I'd like to think we'd stop blowing each other up as we realise the relative insignificance of our existence and unite in trying to preserve our presence in the Universe.

    But I suspect most people won't even understand how big a deal it is, and will continue to worry about things like why their friend hasn't BBM'd them about the party on Friday night.
    Unfortunately, i doubt it would do much to change the attitude of the masses however the conspiricy nuts would have a field day.... assuming they actually told us if they found them

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    DDY
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    Re: What if: Fossils on Mars

    An excuse to send people to Mars! But we must remind them to bring some duct tape, for their flashlights of course.

    I don't think such a discovery will change the way we live but it will be interesting to see what the creationists make of it.

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    Re: What if: Fossils on Mars

    God planted the fossils on Mars to test our faith.
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    Re: What if: Fossils on Mars

    Quote Originally Posted by DDY View Post
    I don't think such a discovery will change the way we live but it will be interesting to see what the creationists make of it.
    They already wilfully deny reality. More evidence isn't going to change their minds, no matter how overwhelming. For these people, faith supersedes evidence.
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    Re: What if: Fossils on Mars

    All major religions would start finding bits of text to try and support the finding.

    I doubt much would change in all honesty. The smart ones would be in awe when it was announced, while others would be annoyed their weekly Eastenders got delayed due to an extended news bulletin.
    Quote Originally Posted by Saracen View Post
    And by trying to force me to like small pants, they've alienated me.

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    Re: What if: Fossils on Mars

    Unfortunately I agree that little would change in the mass population though it would be bloody amazing if we were able to find any evidence of any type of life on Mars at any point in history. Would love to see a manned mission to Mars in my lifetime though 'we' don't have the willingness to invest in such a thing it seems (and to be fair it would pretty much have to be a one way trip at this stage and would likely be a death sentence at that... I think we need to set up a permanent base on the moon first to really understand what's needed).

    On a related note:

    http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hu...ience/xdf.html

    There's just got to be life out there somewhere!

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    Banhammer in peace PeterB kalniel's Avatar
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    Re: What if: Fossils on Mars

    Quote Originally Posted by Agent View Post
    All major religions would start finding bits of text to try and support the finding.
    Fossils on Mars wouldn't be incompatible with most religions even now, as I understand them, I'm not an expert though.

    I doubt much would change in all honesty. The smart ones would be in awe when it was announced, while others would be annoyed their weekly Eastenders got delayed due to an extended news bulletin.
    This.

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    Re: What if: Fossils on Mars

    Quote Originally Posted by aidanjt View Post
    They already wilfully deny reality. More evidence isn't going to change their minds, no matter how overwhelming. For these people, faith supersedes evidence.
    Exactly, nothing will change a creationists mind, the interesting part is how they'll explain it.

    Hopefully the explaination isn't as simple as Madduck makes it, although, I know the less theological bunch will no doubt be using it to ruin my fun.

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    Re: What if: Fossils on Mars

    tbh, Fossils on Mars don't actually change anything. Particularly if we end up with the likely thing, which is impressions in rocks that *might* be fossilized microbes, but it's difficult to tell. Even in the very unlikely event that they find something more complex than single cells (which, lets be honest, would be incredibly dramatic and shocking), it doesn't make a blind bit of difference to life on Earth, today. Mars is clearly utterly incapable of sustaining life now, and most intelligent people who can do even a little bit of maths have realised that statistically it's close to a certainty that some form of life exists somewhere in the universe. Finding it on Mars might suggest it's more common than originally thought, but it doesn't change the fact that if there was life on Mars at some point, Mars certainly wasn't capable of sustaining it beyond an incredibly basic level. The fact that most planets might - at some point - have had microbes on them does little more than suggest there's a host of new, uncomfortable diseases waiting for any future space travelers

    It certainly brings us no closer to contact with intelligent alien life forms, which is pretty much the only thing that would stir significant reaction from most of the population of our fortunately-positioned rock...

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    Re: What if: Fossils on Mars

    Quote Originally Posted by kalniel View Post
    Fossils on Mars wouldn't be incompatible with most religions even now, as I understand them, I'm not an expert though.
    I don't think anything is incompatible though due to a constant 'reinterpretation'. I think it would be more of a "We already knew this because our religious text states X" to try and capitalise on the discovery.
    Quote Originally Posted by Saracen View Post
    And by trying to force me to like small pants, they've alienated me.

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    Re: What if: Fossils on Mars

    Quote Originally Posted by Agent View Post
    I don't think anything is incompatible though due to a constant 'reinterpretation'. I think it would be more of a "We already knew this because our religious text states X" to try and capitalise on the discovery.
    Constant reinterpretation isn't a bad thing by itself, unless you're talking to someone who claims to understand something 100% perfectly, but trying to say 'we already knew this' in retrospect, as opposed to more reasonable compatibility, would be a bit silly, even theologically - but it'd be so obviously silly that I don't think any major religion would do it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Agent View Post
    I don't think anything is incompatible though due to a constant 'reinterpretation'. I think it would be more of a "We already knew this because our religious text states X" to try and capitalise on the discovery.
    Depends what religion you were talking about , the Dali Lama has openly declared the need for religions to go beyond religion in order to deal with todays issues rather than trying to remain separated in their pursuits.

    A no brainer if you ask me when you look at the issues " certain religions " have in regards to others , and their claims to being the " truth ".

    m

    Quote Originally Posted by MadduckUK View Post
    God planted the fossils on Mars to test our faith.
    If God is omnipresent that wouldnt be too hard.

    m

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    Re: What if: Fossils on Mars

    Quote Originally Posted by scaryjim View Post
    tbh, Fossils on Mars don't actually change anything. Particularly if we end up with the likely thing, which is impressions in rocks that *might* be fossilized microbes, but it's difficult to tell. Even in the very unlikely event that they find something more complex than single cells (which, lets be honest, would be incredibly dramatic and shocking), it doesn't make a blind bit of difference to life on Earth, today. Mars is clearly utterly incapable of sustaining life now,
    So much has changed in the last 20 years ... the view that planets were relatively rare around stars, changed to the view that they're commonplace
    We hadn't detected any exoplanets until as recently as 1992, now there's over 800 (and a further 2,000 odd unconfirmed)

    Apart from planets, many moons may be better candidates for life (but those are even harder to detect outside our solar system).
    E.g. Jupiter's moon Europa has lots of liquid water :

    http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120524.html
    Last edited by mikerr; 03-10-2012 at 03:14 PM.
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