Monday, March 21, 2016

Grow your own Microbes

IS there Life on Mars?

Well Nasa`s rovers, orbiters and various pokey things have found underground ice and water, plus soil and rocks that can only have formed in lakes or rivers. (So creatures with watery leanings might be OK up there). 


And Mars once had a magnetic field to protect it from the sun`s radiation… rather like the Earth today. (Encouraging for combustible specimens).

So space scientists Who Know reckon that around the time Mars formed, it was highly suitable for life. 

That was (of course!) 4.6  billion years ago, and these days there doesn`t seem to be anything alive up there - at least, not on the surface... but what if it`s all happening underground?

To answer this Very question, the European Space Agency has just launched a probe headed for Mars, to be followed in two years by a robotic rover able to drill 7ft into the surface. 


For, Something up there is continuing to produce methane - what could it be? 


Actually, they think it`s Microbes… 


How do Martian microbes behave when visited - will scientists find them wrapped round the end of the drill, waving? (Or Snarling).

Some experts are concerned about Bringing Back such finds (I know I am) – unknown organisms could wreak Absolute Havoc with Earthly flora and specially fauna - we`ve all seen the films…


Nevertheless ESA boldly sent some of their own microbes out into space last August 2015 (disguised as health food) to help in the search.


Kombucha is a fizzy and Very Healthy Fermented Tea bursting with bacteria and yeasts, and some of it is now clinging to the outside of the International Space Station


How will it survive unprotected in space, an exceeding-cold vacuum of cosmic radiation and unfiltered sunlight? 


Can it even survive? Finding out will help assess the survival abilities of microorganisms on Mars - highly relevant in the Search for Life.

(Those more interested in how Kombucha battles against nasty oxidants and infections of the Bacterial kind should know that Starter Kits are available).

In Conclusion, surely there must be Life of some ilk on other planets - how could we possibly be the only one Chosen

(Though I don`t-want-them-to-visit-yet thank you)!

Not since...
 

The Warminster Thing!!
 


(Don`t Have Nightmares)!

11 comments:

JW10 said...

Having regularly been abducted by aliens (and quickly handed back, the rotters) I can confirm there is extraterestrial life out there.

Day of the Microbes doesn't sound like a big budget blockbuster, Dolores, and not scary. Hold on, these microbey things. They're not like worms, are they? Shudder.

Dolores Doolittle said...

Well who can blame them, JW, for succumbing to your appeal... It may have seemed like yesterday, but you were probably with them for Years! - aliens can do that, you know.

Definitely not Worm-like - the ones who`ve come for me are sort of Harrison-Fordy...

Dolores Doolittle said...

PS- JW, All the Whizz from Bizz - have read your Strange Blog Tale and it`s swallowed my comment (three times)!

JW10 said...

Hi Dolores,

I hope the ones that come for me are Carrie-Fishery.

Meant to say that I enjoy your spacey sci-fi blogs. Educational and scary.

You have been approved again over at Whizzbiz. The settings were all messed up.

Dolores Doolittle said...

Thankee Hugely, JW. By the way, have you ever been subjected to a Klump of Kombucha during your abductions? Was it life-changing, and did you bring any back here? And is it safely shut in a bunker?

Patsy said...

Like you I think it's unlikely that Earth can be the only planet to have ever had life on it.

Dolores Doolittle said...

Oh good, Patsy - would you like to meet one? I imagine huge palpitating brains living alongside us in another dimension, studying earthly species. (that could be one lot, anyway. And best not bother them for the moment...)

JW10 said...

Kombucha s for wimps, Dolores, as you know I drink Coca-Cola. The refreshment that can clean drains.

Hope you like my Carry Fisher counterpoint to your Harry Ford. They were romantically attached in the Star Wars films. Carrie is my kind of lady, growing old without having to resort to the plastics and botoxes that other Hollywood stars subject themselves to. Another of my faves, Debby-Harriey, has also resisted the knife.

Dolores Doolittle said...

Yes, JW, your innards must be an enormous for your dearest ones. But they could probably Survive Unprotected In Space.

Yes, delightful Carrie and Debbie and unamended - good for them. I`d quite like to be enhanced, but only if it happened miraculously in my sleep.

There`s a bloke on a fast-food TV ad with a bizarre look one can only assume is deep layering of paints and polysplatt. Very Elizabeth 1st.
(I must find out his methods...)

Gillian Harvey said...

First time reader - enjoyed your blog! Interesting! And completely agree, there's (almost) definitely life out there somewhere!

Dolores Doolittle said...

How lovely to see you, Gillian and thank you greatly!

I don`t seem to be managing intended Fortnightly blog schedule - do you find your Five children and seven other jobs helps? Perhaps a Close Encounter with an outerspace Being could reanimate my efforts...