Glaciers Reveal Martian Climate Has Been Recently Active

[grandpa]

"Brown University researchers have found compelling evidence of thick, recurring glaciers on Mars, a discovery that suggests that the Red Planet’s climate was much more dynamic than previously believed – and could change again. Results are published on the cover of Geology magazine." Glaciers Reveal Martian Climate Has Been Recently Active | Brown University Media Relations

I don't regularly read geology magazine (or any scientific journals), but this could create a slight change in the popular conception of Mars. Am I correct?

Grandpa h.

[Morality Games]

This won't impact popular imangings of Mars (to the lay person there are no significant differences between billions and hundreds of millions, or from some glaciers to none), but it definitely reverses scientific conceptions.

[Technosoul]

I think I heard about this a few years ago. Are you sure this is a new discovery?

I am no expert but I do not not think that the water frozen in the polar caps of Mars resulted in the planet developing a chimate.

However it is a strange kind of planet and those objects people say were photographed makes one wonder. I hope they can get a rover probe close to those objects someday so we can get a better look. It would be worth the expense in my opinion.

And also if they could send some rovers to collect more evidence about the climate theory. Which might be the reason they posted those findings, to encourage more funding for Mars research.

But it is way to early to speculate on anything with that limited amount of data. Some comets are made up of ice and they might have deposited that white stuff on the surface of Mars? Aha, another Technosoul wanna-be theroy to work on.

[stevemckay]

However it is a strange kind of planet and those objects people say were photographed makes one wonder. I hope they can get a rover probe close to those objects someday so we can get a better look. It would be worth the expense in my opinion.

The Phoenix Mars Lander is due to set down in the Martian "arctic" on May 25th. Although not in this exact region it will be within the zone where it can measure current water content, permafrost, etc. Even though it is static and not a rover it should yield some very exciting science.

[gallo]

Quote by: Technosoul But it is way to early to speculate on anything with that limited amount of data. Some comets are made up of ice and they might have deposited that white stuff on the surface of Mars? Aha, another Technosoul wanna-be theroy to work on.

Since you seem to be clear that it is speculation, let me point out that it is never too early for speculation. That is the beginning of scientific evaluation. Speculation on possible causes for newly onserved phenomena can suggest a direction for further investigations. One might then propose an hypothesis from the most likely of the speculations, and so on.

[Technosoul]

Quote by: gallo Since you seem to be clear that it is speculation, let me point out that it is never too early for speculation. That is the beginning of scientific evaluation. Speculation on possible causes for newly onserved phenomena can suggest a direction for further investigations. One might then propose an hypothesis from the most likely of the speculations, and so on.

A lot of interesting speculations will surface I guess. Mars has ice which is after all water, and we know the importance of water relative to many things, even life.

Icebergs could have made those cannel like marks on the surface of Mars, which would put to rest of some the science fictional ideas that the cannels were made by aliens or intelligent beings.

If the polar caps on Mars are shifting in size like our own caps then this could confirm speculations that sun flares caused our current global warming trend. Even if they are not happening at the same time we still could see that as evidence that climate changes can happen on more then one planet which rules out human beings as the cause.

Although I do not favor such a deduction of the evidence I would still think that someone might come up with that idea.

The water and some chemicals on Mars could have even produced some sort o microscopic life or fungi at some time, no one has really gone fosil hunting on Mars because that would seem like a dumb idea. But I would be open minded due to the assumed fact that Mars has been around for millions of years ( billions? - ?).

If we sent people to Mars can we use that ice (water) to our advantage? Such that we would need to take less with us on such a trip for passinger consumption. Or would it be too deadly for human use?
Perhaps the probe on the 25th will get that data?