HW: (-ish!) Life on Mars exposed

[J Strobridge]

There was an apology printed in the Guardian on Saturday.   I quote it
entire, since this is obviously a matter of deep importance to all
lifeforms on Planet Earth  8-)



"PLANET MARS - AN APOLOGY

On Auguest 18 we printed an editorial based on the understanding that
scientists at NASA had found traces of life on Mars, albeit billions of
years old, from a meteorite catapulted from the planet 15 millions years
ago.   This was said in good faith within the obvious limitations of the
checking mechanisms of a newspaper on 176 years old.   We are now
informed - by geochemists at the University of Colorado in Boulder -
that the carbonate mineral globules in which the suspected microfossils
had been found were formed not within the 0 to 80 Celsius range
suggested by NASA but between 40 and 250 Celsius - up to 100 Celsius
above the upper limit for life.   We unreservedly apologise for the
consternation this must have caused among the constellations not to
speak of all those who may have started to trace back their family trees
in the now misbegotten hope that they may have had extra-terrestial
ancestors.

Anthropomorphism of this kind is fortunately not yet a crime (though,
doubtless, lawyers are working on it) but that is no reason to libel
those unable to defend themselves.   We wish Mars a long and
well-deserved return to the undiscovered bliss of inanimation and
promise not to write about it again.   At least, not until NASA
scientists want to squeeze more funds out of Congress again.  Or until
the little green men land in Hyde Park."

Ah well - pity!

jill
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J.D.Strobridge at ed.ac.uk                         eset08 at tattoo.ed.ac.uk
                                                ELIJSA at srv0.arts.ed.ac.uk

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