La Casa Blanca es informada de hallazgo en Marte

(Steve Wacksman for The Boston Globe)

Los rumores corren, pero creo (aunque el reporte fuente lo niega) que aparte de agua se ha encontrado vida microbiana en Marte, lo que no sería raro. A fin de cuentas se han encontrado bacterias que viven en el fondo de los océanos aguantando grandes presiones y hasta algunas que soportan muy bien la radioactividad. El problema sería si queremos enviar astronautas al planeta rojo. Quién sabe si esos microbios son patógenos o no.... Pero Nick Bostrom, un experto de la Universidad de Oxford, cree que hasta encontrar microbios en Marte puede ser una mala noticia, porqué eso indicaría que quizá hubo vida superior ahí, pero algo terrible la exterminó, y cerca de nosotros. Copio de Universe Today:

It would appear that the US President has been briefed by Phoenix scientists about the discovery of something more "provocative" than the discovery of water existing on the Martian surface. This news comes just as the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) confirmed experimental evidence for the existence of water in the Mars regolith on Thursday. Whilst NASA scientists are not claiming that life once existed on the Red Planet's surface, new data appears to indicate the "potential for life" more conclusively than the TEGA water results. Apparently these new results are being kept under wraps until further, more detailed analysis can be carried out, but we are assured that this announcement will be huge…

So why is there all this secrecy? According to scientists in communication with Aviation Week & Space Technology, the next big discovery will need to be mulled over for a while before it is announced to the world. In fact, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory science team for the MECA wet-chemistry instrument that made these undisclosed findings were kept out of the July 31st news conference (confirming water) so additional analysis could be carried out, avoiding any questions that may have revealed their preliminary results. They have also made the decision to discuss the results with the Bush Administration's Presidential Science Advisor's office before a press conference between mid-August and early September...