🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1jv4saINN66r@ub.d.umn.edu>, rfentima@ub.d.umn.edu (Robert Fentiman) says:
>
>Mars can support life (alabeit simple, combon dioxide breathing).  NASA
>officially lists life on Mars as 'inconclusive'.  I believe this is due
>to a researcher who found bacteria living in antartica.

The tests carried out on board the Viking for metabolism, growth, 
photosynthesis were done by three seperate experiments, 
gas exchange, labeled release and pyrolytic release.

Results:An unpredictably high level of oxygen was released
when the samples were sitmulated by sunlight or water, but
not if the sample was sterilized. One possible reason for this 
release of oxygen was that plants were present and undergoing
photosynthesis. Another possible answer was that a purely
inorganic chemical reaction was taking place. Neither of these
possibilities could be proven or disproven conclusively, leaving
open the question of life on Mars.

Source for the above: p160/161 The Encyclopedia of US Spacecraft
by Bill Yenne

The researcher in Antartica was Dr Wolf {spelling?}, he spent 
20 years building the wolf trap. The wolf trap was a device
which was suppose to be fitted to the Viking landers, but because
of last minute budget cutbacks, it was left out. Basically the
experiment involved adding some soil to some nutrient rich
mixture and then detecing if anything would grow. because
of the Viking kickback, he decided to try his device in Antartica,
with success.

Source for the above paragraph: Carl Sagan's Cosmos series.

Carl Sagan beleived that the wolf trap would have resolved
the question of life on Mars {ie in the area of the other tests}

Peter T.