Pingie: HTTP:: Martian Rocks Could Be Preserving Signs of Life

HTTP:: Martian Rocks Could Be Preserving Signs of Life
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In a study that could change the way planetary scientists look at rocks forever, French researchers recently reported, in the September issue of the journal Geobiology, that they discovered how microorganisms become fossils in laboratory conditions. This may provide geologists with leads into understanding how microbes or bacteria may have been stored inside Martian rocks, for example. However, at this point, there is still no way to extract the remains of these organisms, if they exist at all, from the rocks, unless larger, fossilized colonies are discovered. The study could have implications for the rocks on our planet as well, Space reports. “Environmental conditions were similar on the young terrestrial planets and traces of early Martian life may have been similarly preserved as silicified microfossils,” the authors write in their journal entry. The study focused on examining the fossilization process of Pyrococcus abyssi (PA) and Methanocaldococcus jannaschii (MJ)!
, which are two types of extremophiles able to flourish in very hot temperatures, and much reduced oxygen concentrations. There are those in the scientific community who believe that such an environment may have been the place where life first appeared on Earth, and maybe even on Mars. Normally, organisms such as the ones studi...
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http://news.softpedia.com/news/Martian-Rocks-Could-Be-Preserving-Signs-of-Life-123292.shtml
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