Salt in soil from bygone era may be keeping briney water on Mars liquid
April 14, 2015 10:53 AM Subscribe
Mars might have liquid water, according to new findings We know Mars has water, and we also know that Mars once had liquid water (a whole ocean, in fact) but now it seems we may have evidence of liquid water today.
As usual, the Daily Mail seems to have lots of pics and stuff. For once, it seems to be going light on the sensationalism:
Is there water on Mars at night? Curiosity finds evidence red planet's frost may melt due to 'salt' in the soil
See also: On Mars, Liquid Water Appears at Night, Study Suggests
As usual, the Daily Mail seems to have lots of pics and stuff. For once, it seems to be going light on the sensationalism:
Is there water on Mars at night? Curiosity finds evidence red planet's frost may melt due to 'salt' in the soil
See also: On Mars, Liquid Water Appears at Night, Study Suggests
Shouldn't the movement of briny water under the surface impart an electric charge of some sort? Given that Mars has an atmosphere, why is there no lightning?
posted by Renoroc at 11:39 AM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Renoroc at 11:39 AM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
Ever since a Chomsky lecture years back, I've been confused as to what water means.
I don't know what Chomsky's lecturing about, but water is H2O.
posted by dirigibleman at 11:45 AM on April 14, 2015
I don't know what Chomsky's lecturing about, but water is H2O.
posted by dirigibleman at 11:45 AM on April 14, 2015
This is pretty cool. If Mars had oceans for a long time, I tend to think life probably arose. If Mars has had liquid water continously since then, life probably survived. Probably only as oligotrophic extremophiles, but still. Although it might be incredibly hard to find (remember that all of our genetic tools, and most of our culturing tools, will be useless.)
posted by Mitrovarr at 11:54 AM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Mitrovarr at 11:54 AM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
Obligatory exploration rant: we're still looking for actual water on present day Mars, while Saturn's moon Enceladus is spewing multiple geysers into space. We've that since 2006 and still haven't scheduled a probe to explore that.
Priorities humanity, you needs some!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:55 AM on April 14, 2015 [2 favorites]
Priorities humanity, you needs some!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:55 AM on April 14, 2015 [2 favorites]
No equipment go look for life in the water, stern denial for possibility of life from NASA, due to radiation levels, yet there are bacteria living on radiation in our crust. They aren't one of Bush's left over high school graduate political appointees, are they?
I am glad about the water though. Mars persists even though it was cast out of the Goldilocks zone.
posted by Oyéah at 11:56 AM on April 14, 2015
I am glad about the water though. Mars persists even though it was cast out of the Goldilocks zone.
posted by Oyéah at 11:56 AM on April 14, 2015
Is there any way of finding out if this water is even potable?
posted by Flashman at 11:56 AM on April 14, 2015
posted by Flashman at 11:56 AM on April 14, 2015
Planetary scientists have a very liberal definition of water: 'liquid that contains H2O'. It might be acid or basic, briny or or full of something else.
Given that Mars has an atmosphere, why is there no lightning?
Who says there isn't?
Obligatory exploration rant: we're still looking for actual water on present day Mars, while Saturn's moon Enceladus is spewing multiple geysers into space. We've that since 2006 and still haven't scheduled a probe to explore that.
Working on it.
posted by zamboni at 11:58 AM on April 14, 2015 [8 favorites]
Given that Mars has an atmosphere, why is there no lightning?
Who says there isn't?
Obligatory exploration rant: we're still looking for actual water on present day Mars, while Saturn's moon Enceladus is spewing multiple geysers into space. We've that since 2006 and still haven't scheduled a probe to explore that.
Working on it.
posted by zamboni at 11:58 AM on April 14, 2015 [8 favorites]
hey aren't one of Bush's left over high school graduate political appointees, are they?
Well, Ted Cruz is in charge of the committee that is in charge of NASA. I'm sure that won't have any repercussions.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 12:11 PM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
Well, Ted Cruz is in charge of the committee that is in charge of NASA. I'm sure that won't have any repercussions.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 12:11 PM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
Flashman, briny (aka salty) water is not potable for humans unless you remove the salt. Drinking ocean water will cause brain swelling and death in humans. The water on Mars is likely a lot saltier than Earth's ocean water.
posted by Michele in California at 12:21 PM on April 14, 2015
posted by Michele in California at 12:21 PM on April 14, 2015
Looks like I maybe just discovered the cause of Martian lightning. Next stop, Stockholm!
posted by Renoroc at 12:36 PM on April 14, 2015
posted by Renoroc at 12:36 PM on April 14, 2015
Martian lightning, they are already making booze out there, that is so US Congress! Mars, the ancient home of mythical Margaritaville.
posted by Oyéah at 12:40 PM on April 14, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Oyéah at 12:40 PM on April 14, 2015 [2 favorites]
Not just water, but waterslides, surfboards, squirtguns and drinking fountains.
- Richard C. Hoagland
posted by davebush at 2:55 PM on April 14, 2015
- Richard C. Hoagland
posted by davebush at 2:55 PM on April 14, 2015
Obligatory exploration rant: we're still looking for actual water on present day Mars, while Saturn's moon Enceladus is spewing multiple geysers into space. We've that since 2006 and still haven't scheduled a probe to explore that.
When's the next launch window for a Venus gravity assist to Saturn?
posted by nathan_teske at 3:38 PM on April 14, 2015
When's the next launch window for a Venus gravity assist to Saturn?
posted by nathan_teske at 3:38 PM on April 14, 2015
Good question, is there is an App or site that'll show the actual positions of the planets and allow a layperson to calculate such things? 'Cause that would be pretty cool.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:08 PM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:08 PM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
When's the next launch window for a Venus gravity assist to Saturn?Later this year, apparently.
Click Earth Departure to sort by departure time, and then click view on the left to see the trajectory. They're mostly Jupiter assisted, not Venus assisted (there is one Earth-assisted trajectory though).
posted by fragmede at 4:23 PM on April 14, 2015 [6 favorites]
Thank you so much fragmede, that is so freaking awesome!
So the odds of liquid water on Mars are improving, however, it's likely in the form of a salt sludge.
Not great news for the chances of surviving unicellular life, based on the Terrestrial blueprint. Counter-osmolarity ion pumps are extraordinarily energy intensive. Very high salt concentration interferes with Terrestrial enzyme activity. Maybe there are evolutionary workarounds in protein chemistry?
Multicellular life with specialized/sacrificed cells might develop a solution to an extremely hypertonic solution.
Wonder if tardigrades (eutelic multicellular microanimals, famously the water bears that can survive high doses of ionizing raditation) could function in that, or just go into dormancy?
posted by porpoise at 7:58 PM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
So the odds of liquid water on Mars are improving, however, it's likely in the form of a salt sludge.
Not great news for the chances of surviving unicellular life, based on the Terrestrial blueprint. Counter-osmolarity ion pumps are extraordinarily energy intensive. Very high salt concentration interferes with Terrestrial enzyme activity. Maybe there are evolutionary workarounds in protein chemistry?
Multicellular life with specialized/sacrificed cells might develop a solution to an extremely hypertonic solution.
Wonder if tardigrades (eutelic multicellular microanimals, famously the water bears that can survive high doses of ionizing raditation) could function in that, or just go into dormancy?
posted by porpoise at 7:58 PM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
So the odds of liquid water on Mars are improving
Long term, if we're terraforming, maybe its better to have none at all.
No life at all on Mars, and no water to support a colony, might be a better raw canvas for smashing comets into.
posted by compound eye at 4:24 AM on April 15, 2015
Long term, if we're terraforming, maybe its better to have none at all.
No life at all on Mars, and no water to support a colony, might be a better raw canvas for smashing comets into.
posted by compound eye at 4:24 AM on April 15, 2015
Dr. Gilbert V. Levin designed an experiment on the Viking lander that he, and many others, are sure that it detected life on Mars. His papers on it are linked on this page.
posted by Sophont at 12:30 AM on April 16, 2015
posted by Sophont at 12:30 AM on April 16, 2015
the Wikipedia article on Viking bio experiments has a pretty good summary of current thinking about the Viking results.
posted by zamboni at 8:22 AM on April 16, 2015
posted by zamboni at 8:22 AM on April 16, 2015
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This is good news for the intrepid Mars One colonists! One step closer to terraforming the galaxy!
posted by dios at 11:38 AM on April 14, 2015