Life on Mars proven - 36 years ago

[Ydoow]

http://news.discovery.com/space/mars-life-viking-landers-discovery-120412.html

Just stumbled across this on Google+

Puuuuuurty interesting, although it certainly seems premature to draw conclusions.

Tantalizing title though, no?

[RC1062]

First picture looks like a cardboard model...

*EDIT* Interesting spot...

[NovaSilisko]

Yeah, I\'m skeptical. There needs to be more independent corroboration of this result before a true conclusion can be drawn.

[Lunniy Korabl]

Kind of reminds me of this SMBC:

[Johno]

I just suddenly understood Richard Dawkins . .

[thorfinn]

Kind of reminds me of this SMBC:

Except that the guy making the claim IS a biologist.

Anyway, seems like overinterpretation of too little data to me. Something that people should be wary about, but in fields like planetary science it\'s almost understandable: we have SO LITTLE data after all, that the temptation of milking it for anything it can be worth is obviously strong.

I just suddenly understood Richard Dawkins . .

LOL.

Though, I really don\'t like the strip. Reeks of the kind of academical arrogance I see more often than I\'d like in the lab...

[Sordid]

I just suddenly understood Richard Dawkins . .

I don\'t really pay that much attention to the guy, but I don\'t think he criticizes other scientific fields very much, does he?

[Herra Tohtori]

He doesn\'t. Richard Dawkins\' failing is that he is often a bit too confrontational and aggressive in his argumentation, which ends up being detrimental to his ability to act as a science educator as opposed to scientist.

As to that comic strip - yeah, I don\'t agree with it, just like I don\'t agree with the stereotype that all Americans are illiterate buffoons (after all, there is more to America than USA) or that all Kerbals are crazy suicidal space Russians that care nothing for science, physics, or engineering terms like 'structural integrity'. I can still have a laugh about it.

Stereotype jokes are fine by me. It\'s when people start taking them seriously that they stop being a joke. This applies both for people applying stereotypes in their actual opinions, and people getting offended at stereotyping. Because, really, there is no reason to get offended - if it is a joke, take it as a joke. If it is being submitted as a serious opinion, it isn\'t worth getting offended by - it deserves ridicule rather than scorn.

Then again, I speak from the perspective of a white caucasian male living in a ridiculously wealthy Northern European nation... sort of hard to put myself in the perspective of a victim of negative stereotyping. The worst stereotypes about Finnish people in general are that we are moody, utility knife-wielding stabbists and manic-depressive drunkards who can shrug off extreme cold that would incapacitate other people, and slaughter invading (and freezing) armies with ease only rivalled by our suicide rates.

Of course, it helps that all the aforementioned things about Finnish people are true.

[Sordid]

Heh, I wouldn\'t know about that, but IMO it\'s best not to take such things too seriously and personally.

As for Dawkins, I think his aggressive argumentation is understandable given that he comes from a proper scientific background, unlike his opponents. The thing that really bothers me about him is his delivery. He has a strange air of smugness about him even when he\'s agreeing with people or saying something genuinely nice. I think a lot of people find that quite off-putting.

[Herra Tohtori]

Dawkins agrees, apparently.

...I do have a bit of a hidden agenda here.

I hope everyone who didn\'t know who Neil deGrasse Tyson is will spend next hour or few watching videos where he speaks on youtube. He delivers his words in such an immaculately enthusiastic and agreeable style and disposition that it is almost impossible to dislike him, and you\'ll likely find yourself wanting to learn more about the stuff he speaks, just to know what it is that makes him so giddy about it all.

[Sordid]

Oh yeah. Tyson is basically Sagan 2.0.

[Lunniy Korabl]

On topic: I think we\'re going to continue to see this level of pouring over the little data we have about life on Mars, until we go get some more. Ditto for Venus. Let\'s get some balloons up there! http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00003338/

Off topic:

The worst stereotypes about Finnish people in general are that we are moody, utility knife-wielding stabbists and manic-depressive drunkards who can shrug off extreme cold that would incapacitate other people, and slaughter invading (and freezing) armies with ease only rivalled by our suicide rates.

You missed lacking a sense of humour

JK, as a Kiwi I found that quite funny.