Terraforming Mars

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by Thunderbird

Attachment 2318
http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event

And your point is?

[Thunderbird]

Originally Posted by freeztar

And your point is?

thermal sterilization

[Moontanman]

Originally Posted by Thunderbird

Attachment 2318
http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event

It does seem unlikely that anything alive could suvive such an impact but I think the idea was that as comets travel around the sun they leave dust in their wake and this dust contains viruses that can infect humans. IE the 1918 flu pandemic, I refuse to believe this, no way no how, it flies in the face of everything we know about viruses. As though viruses are being created by the ton inside comets that are pre-evolved to infect complex life on the Earth! Not going to happen........

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by Moontanman

It does seem unlikely that anything alive could suvive such an impact but I think the idea was that as comets travel around the sun they leave dust in their wake and this dust contains viruses that can infect humans. IE the 1918 flu pandemic, I refuse to believe this, no way no how, it flies in the face of everything we know about viruses. As though viruses are being created by the ton inside comets that are pre-evolved to infect complex life on the Earth! Not going to happen........

I'll agree with you MTM. Theories involving "viruses falling from the sky" are ill-founded. Bacteria have been found to be efficient catalysts of ice formation, but no mention of viruses there.

Bacteria Assists in Formation of Ice and Snow : NPR

[Moontanman]

They've found water on Mars! check this link!

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0504...nMars2_gcc.jpg

[dcmike]

Well well - there seems to be a plethora of absolutes here! Even details of some*Einstein theories have come into question lately - and he was a huge proponent of open minds. The greatest minds in science claim we know so little, because as we open one new door we are privy to a new room full of paradoxes - things that "can't happen." The science of quantum physics / mechanics is the study of possibilities and uncertainty. I have been truly fortunate to encounter a such a group of people here who have all the answers - in the purest form of absolute.

This all started by me as a "what if" - not a tenured verity. Sub atomic particles disappear to some unknown place and pop back into "reality" with no alibi. Extremophiles live in boiling water and survive radiation. We live in a era where the cutting edge of intellect is wary of unwavering laws of reality, and here everything is known. I sense a lack of wisdom - the same lack of wisdom in many religious debates. Religious fanatics espouse total belief in fantastic scenarios and atheists claim they can prove there no God. The truth is, no matter how fantastic some religious tenets sound you can't PROVE it doesn't exist - there is no physical matter to bring to the courtroom. Your only choice is to believe or disbelieve - there is no proof of either concept.

The only sensible voice in recent pages has been Freeztar. He realizes that there are many possibilities that, though not yet empirically proven at this moment, are not empirically disproved at this moment. Nasa has visited a comet - up close and personal and states what could possibly be. Moontanman and Thunderbird - how many comets have you been on lately? As for viral "life" (they are technically not alive) surviving an impact: the Earth receives tons of cometary dust and debris annually, that just leisurely floats down through the strata without burning up at all. When a comet gets warmer it loses some mass (the materials in the tail) that just gets cast off.

Those of you here that empirically state what absolutely cannot happen could be among those with a 'dumm' look on their face in the days ahead. I, however am immune to this because I have never given any evidence and-or stated empirically that it is absolutely so - no argument.

It is just as foolish to to be mindlessly skeptical as it is to be born yesterday.

[dcmike]

Moontanman "I refuse to believe this, no way no how,...."

And you have every right to disbelieve. On one discussion group a young poster said to me - "I think you are an insane idiot!!"

My response was - "You are absolutely right! You do think I am an insane idiot!"

[Moontanman]

Originally Posted by dcmike

Moontanman "I refuse to believe this, no way no how,...."

And you have every right to disbelieve. On one discussion group a young poster said to me - "I think you are an insane idiot!!"

My response was - "You are absolutely right! You do think I am an insane idiot!"

I have reasons for my lack of faith in the "virus' fall from the sky pre-evolved to infect complex earth life. If you had read more of the posts you would have seen several really good reasons.

First would be that virus' are not primitive life forms, they co evolved with their hosts, they don't just pop out of no where already evolved.

Second would be that virus' are very host specific, literally billions of virus' exist on the Earth only a very few infect any one creature.

I have no problem with microscopic life falling to Earth, if it exists in space for any reason it could find it's way to earth but....

These two reasons are more than enough to cause my disbelief. I am well aware that my disbelief will not change reality but neither will believing in something that cannot or does not happen.

[dcmike]

Moontanman Said - "I have reasons for my lack of faith in the "virus' fall from the sky pre-evolved to infect complex earth life. "

Now that is a more scientific approach - who could debate you on that.

[Moontanman]

Originally Posted by dcmike

Moontanman Said - "I have reasons for my lack of faith in the "virus' fall from the sky pre-evolved to infect complex earth life. "

Now that is a more scientific approach - who could debate you on that.

Evidently you do, care to explain why you think virus' fall from the sky preevolved to infect complex Earth life? I'd really like to know how you can think such a thing is possible.