Guys – as an avid Mass Effect fan, I would absolutely be doing my gaming heritage an injustice if I didn’t talk about the recent Mars findings by NASA. When in doubt, go Paragon. But seriously, NASA’s rover Curiosity found some interesting things on its latest expedition on the Red Planet and if video games have taught us anything, this could be really cool – or end in a Reaper invasion. There really is no in-between.
According to the official NASA report, their rover “found new evidence preserved in rocks on Mars that suggests the planet could have supported ancient life, as well as new evidence in the Martian atmosphere that relates to the search for current life on the Red Planet. While not necessarily evidence of life itself, these findings are a good sign for future missions exploring the planet’s surface and subsurface.
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The new findings — “tough” organic molecules in 3-billion-year-old sedimentary rocks near the surface, as well as seasonal variations in the levels of methane in the atmosphere — appear in the June 8 edition of the journal Science.”
Now NASA didn’t go full fangirl like I am right now, Space Nerd to the extreme over here, but they did say that they were “on the right track” to discovering if there is life outside of our small planet.
“With these new findings, Mars is telling us to stay the course and keep searching for evidence of life,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. “I’m confident that our ongoing and planned missions will unlock even more breathtaking discoveries on the Red Planet.”
“Curiosity has not determined the source of the organic molecules,” said Jen Eigenbrode of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “Whether it holds a record of ancient life, was food for life, or has existed in the absence of life, organic matter in Martian materials holds chemical clues to planetary conditions and processes.”
All of that aside, this is Mars we’re talking about. You know, big red gaseous planet? The one that games like DOOM told us were a very, very bad idea? Essentially, NASA found something cool and they are doing what they are being paid to do – investigating. But how many games and movies have the plotline of an “ancient race” trying to ward off newcomers. Guess what, friends, we’re the new comers. Strap in because we’re either getting annihilated or having a new love interest (Mass Effect joke, no hate). Or … as is the most likely scenario, it’s little more than a biological accident, which is entirely possible.
Still. Mars. Guys, it’s happening.
What are your thoughts on NASA’s latest discovery? Do you think this could mean something bigger, or are we getting a little too excited? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below and tell us all about it.
If the author of the story didn’t freak you out too much and you’d like to follow her weird shenanagins on Twitter, you can find her @DirtyEffinHippy.
For more on NASA’s findings, you can check out the full report here.
