User:Robertinventor/Simple animals could live in Martian brines - Extended Interview with planetary scientist Vlada Stamenković: Difference between revisions
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# intermittently sometimes active and sometimes dormant. |
# intermittently sometimes active and sometimes dormant. |
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Researchers can't study the reproduction of such slowly growing cells using cell counts. Perhaps it is possible at lower temperatures, but the usual limit cited is -20 °C<!-- see discussion in A new analysis of Mars "Special Regions" -->. That's well above the lowest Martian temperatures studied in the paper of -133 °C. |
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Is Martian life able to reproduce below these temperatures? |
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<!-- This para summarizes the Schulze-Makuch paper in the background information section --> |
<!-- This para summarizes the Schulze-Makuch paper in the background information section --> |
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Dirk Schulze-Makuch |
Dirk Schulze-Makuch has proposed that Martian life might evolve an exotic metabolism with the perchlorates of Mars taking the place of the salts inside the cells of Earth life. This would have advantages on Mars, with the brines inside their own cells acting as an anti-freeze to protect them against extreme cold. These salts are also very hygroscopic, which might help life of this sort (if it exists) to scavenge water from the atmosphere and their surroundings. |
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With this background, Wikinews asked: |
With this background, Wikinews asked: |
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The other possibility is that microbes can continue to function at very low temperatures in the Martian conditions. After the interview I discovered that they go into this for their paper in a section ''"3.2 The lower temperature limit for life and the potential of aerobic habitats"'' in the supplementary information. |
The other possibility is that microbes can continue to function at very low temperatures in the Martian conditions. After the interview I discovered that they go into this for their paper in a section ''"3.2 The lower temperature limit for life and the potential of aerobic habitats"'' in the supplementary information. |
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When microbes |
When microbes able to live in extremely cold conditions are cooled down, the interior doesn't freeze but changes to a glassy state (Intracellular vitrification). So the microbes would be able to be cooled down this far without being damaged. |
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It would depend on whether the cells can keep their intercellular fluids liquid as they cool down. If they can, this will keep the viscosity low, and permit vigorous metabolic processes to continue. If their interior changes to a glassy state then some metabolic processes do still continue but only very slowly in these vitrified cells. |
It would then depend on whether the cells can keep their intercellular fluids liquid as they cool down. If they can, this will keep the viscosity low, and permit vigorous metabolic processes to continue. If their interior changes to a glassy state then some metabolic processes do still continue but only very slowly in these vitrified cells. |
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[[File:MarsOxides.jpg|thumb|Curiosity's discovery image for the manganese-oxide minerals at a location called "Windjana,". These require abundant water and strongly oxidizing conditions to form. With the new theory these conditions may be present on Mars today, previously thought to be only possible on early Mars.]] |
[[File:MarsOxides.jpg|thumb|Curiosity's discovery image for the manganese-oxide minerals at a location called "Windjana,". These require abundant water and strongly oxidizing conditions to form. With the new theory these conditions may be present on Mars today, previously thought to be only possible on early Mars.]] |
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