posted by QuakerOats

Breaking News NASA: Curiosity rover discovered organic molecules on Mars NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has found organic molecules on Mars, the space agency revealed in a major announcement Thursday.

Don't get my next few statements wrong, this is a huge discovery, however....

1. This is not life.

2. Organic molecules range from methane (natural gas), to oil, to plastics, to amino acids and proteins. Basically anything that consists mainly of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. This could have been trapped methane (the story didn't say what the molecules are). Uranus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune all have methane, which is an organic molecule.

3. The reason this is a big finding is it is the first time we have found an organic molecule on Mars, not the first time we have found it in the universe outside of Earth.

Yeah,  they termed it the building blocks of life, I think.

posted by QuakerOats

Yeah,  they termed it the building blocks of life, I think.

No, they did not. They just stated in the article that it was organic molecules. They stated that this is key in their search for life. They didn’t say it was the building blocks. 

This was line I was referring to:

The "building blocks" for life have been discovered in 3-billion-year-old organic matter on Mars, NASA scientists announced Thursday. Researchers cannot yet say whether their discovery stems from life or a more mundane geological process.4 days ago

NASA Curiosity Rover: Mars has life? Building blocks discovered

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/.../life-mars-building-blocks-life.../681597002/

posted by QuakerOats

This was line I was referring to:

The "building blocks" for life have been discovered in 3-billion-year-old organic matter on Mars, NASA scientists announced Thursday. Researchers cannot yet say whether their discovery stems from life or a more mundane geological process.4 days ago

NASA Curiosity Rover: Mars has life? Building blocks discovered

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/.../life-mars-building-blocks-life.../681597002/

I'm pretty sure I've seen you mock the use of USA Today as a source. 

Maybe it's just me, but I don't give a fuck about space

posted by QuakerOats

This was line I was referring to:

The "building blocks" for life have been discovered in 3-billion-year-old organic matter on Mars, NASA scientists announced Thursday. Researchers cannot yet say whether their discovery stems from life or a more mundane geological process.4 days ago

NASA Curiosity Rover: Mars has life? Building blocks discovered

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/.../life-mars-building-blocks-life.../681597002/

I was just going off the link you originally provided. 

I am interested if they will release what actual molecules they found. If I had to guess it would be simple hydrocarbons like methane/ethane/propane and not proteins or amino acids. If it was the proteins or acids then THAT could be called the "building blocks of life", not any organic molecule.

Found it on NASA's website...

[quote]Some of the molecules identified include thiophenes, benzene, toluene, and small carbon chains, such as propane or butene.[/quote]

So slightly more complex than propane, but not on the scale of amino acids or proteins. These are the typical thinner agents used in paint thinner or other cleaning solvents (not as complex as gasolene or oil, but more than natural gas).

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-finds-ancient-organic-material-mysterious-methane-on-mars

Molecules for life on this planet....who knows what those aliens ate made of

posted by Spock

Molecules for life on this planet....who knows what those aliens ate made of

We do have a narrow view of what life could be...we believe all live has to be carbon based, requires water, and must be on a planet in the "Goldilocks Zone" for specific livable temperatures.

We may find life that is Silicon based...who knows.