This Researcher Duo May Help Detect Presence Of Life On Mars
Prof. Alison Olcott Marshall and her husband Prof. Craig Marshall, a researcher duo from The University of Kansas want to know for sure if there has ever been life on Mars or if there still is in some form. In the quest for finding life on a planet other than ours, scientists from all over the world have been conducting research and still the dream of Martian invaders attacking Earth remains good only for science fiction books. The recent trips to Mars or the Red Planet by unmanned probes of the space organisations NASA and ESA have been able to bring back evidences that suggest the possibility of life once existing on Mars. The basic condition required for a living thing to exist i.e. water has been found on Mars. This exciting discovery has led to all sorts of speculations regarding extraterrestrial life. However, most researchers have shared that its unlikely that life could exist today on the incredibly harsh environment on the surface of Mars.
It is said that if life can be identified on Mars, it will be in the form of left-over fossils. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall, professors at the Geology Department at The University of Kansas, have therefore been working on improvement of the way researchers can detect condensed aromatic carbon. The duo recently overturned the oldest evidence of life on Earth, which was so far said to be the specks found in rocks in Australia.
Prof. Alison Olcott Marshall and her husband and colleague Prof. Craig Marshall
In a recent paper, these Kansas researchers have shared how Raman spectroscopy can be supplemented with gas chromatography for screening carbonaceous material as well as determining its source aka origin.
To test their technique, the KU research team is analysing rocks on Earth that are similar to those on Mars. They will be publishing their findings in days to come.
Currently, the KU researchers are extending this line of investigation by using Raman spectroscopy to analyze rocks from Earth that are similar to those on Mars. They hope to publish their findings in the near future.
Take a look at what the researchers themselves had to say -
Instead of using minerals and salts synthetically developed inside laboratories, the Marshalls chose different sites on the Kansas-Oklahoma border to perform their research based on Raman spectroscopy. They found that the chemical content of the material from these sites was similar to that found on Mars. Even the typical stone that might be covered in rust was about the same.
We hope that their research determines conclusive ways of determining if the evidence proves the existence of life on Mars.
What are your thoughts about extraterrestrial life and Martian invades of Earth? Share with us in comments below.
Source: <a href="https://today.ku.edu/2015/05/04/researchers-hone-technique-finding-signs-life-red-planet" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Researchers hone technique for finding signs of life on the Red Planet | The University of Kansas</a>
It is said that if life can be identified on Mars, it will be in the form of left-over fossils. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall, professors at the Geology Department at The University of Kansas, have therefore been working on improvement of the way researchers can detect condensed aromatic carbon. The duo recently overturned the oldest evidence of life on Earth, which was so far said to be the specks found in rocks in Australia.
Prof. Alison Olcott Marshall and her husband and colleague Prof. Craig Marshall
In a recent paper, these Kansas researchers have shared how Raman spectroscopy can be supplemented with gas chromatography for screening carbonaceous material as well as determining its source aka origin.
To test their technique, the KU research team is analysing rocks on Earth that are similar to those on Mars. They will be publishing their findings in days to come.
Currently, the KU researchers are extending this line of investigation by using Raman spectroscopy to analyze rocks from Earth that are similar to those on Mars. They hope to publish their findings in the near future.
Take a look at what the researchers themselves had to say -
Instead of using minerals and salts synthetically developed inside laboratories, the Marshalls chose different sites on the Kansas-Oklahoma border to perform their research based on Raman spectroscopy. They found that the chemical content of the material from these sites was similar to that found on Mars. Even the typical stone that might be covered in rust was about the same.
We hope that their research determines conclusive ways of determining if the evidence proves the existence of life on Mars.
What are your thoughts about extraterrestrial life and Martian invades of Earth? Share with us in comments below.
Source: <a href="https://today.ku.edu/2015/05/04/researchers-hone-technique-finding-signs-life-red-planet" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Researchers hone technique for finding signs of life on the Red Planet | The University of Kansas</a>
0