Did Viking kill the Martians?

[Bluenose]

http://www.lost-civilizations.net/past-life-mars-viking-labeled-release-experiment-life-mars.html

After reading a couple of unsatisfactory media reports about this, I Googled up the above article.

Very interesting, to say the least.  It seems that if there were life forms, not all together unlike some of those on Earth that inhabit extreme environments, present on Mars when the Viking landers performed their experiments, that the process used may well have killed them.  This being since the scientists of the day were looking for the wrong type of life.  Easy to be wise after the event and we should not forget that the existance of Earth-bound extreme life, such as that around deep sea volcanic vents and so on was not even hinted at the time of these missions.  However, it seems that a re-examination of the results leaves the question most definitely open for re-interpretation.  Let us hope that future exploratory craft can conduct tests in a less potentially lethal manner.  I wouldn't want the inter-planetary police coming round complaining about microbicide and wanting to use some great big kill-o-zap gun in retribution.1

Sibling Bluenose

[Sibling Chatty]

Ah, the gross assumption that WE are always right, and things are always to be done OUR way to be viable.

Definitely American scientists...

[Outis the Unready]

Or Non-American Scientists.

One or the other.

I don't understand. I thought Viking merged with Office Depot. I didn't know it killed anybody.

Maybe that's why it had to go away.

[ivor]

It seems that if there were life forms, not all together unlike some of those on Earth that inhabit extreme environments, present on Mars when the Viking landers performed their experiments, that the process used may well have killed them.

Well, isn't that a nice howdy do! 

[goat starer]

I was aware that the vikings probably discovered the americas but their grasp of interplanetary space travel is new to me!

Leif Eriksson in Mars Genocide Shock

[Bluenose]

 

...and those long boats are a right bugger to steer in a vacuum!

BN

[Aggie]

Aye, a canoe's a much better choice for the Red Planet:

[Sibling Chatty]

Or Non-American Scientists.

One or the other.

I don't understand. I thought Viking merged with Office Depot. I didn't know it killed anybody.

Maybe that's why it had to go away.

Does this mean there's Office Depot on Mars now??

[Outis the Unready]

Yes. It is in the Whispering Willows plaza next to the Wal-Mart.

[Sibling Chatty]

Ah, plenty of Wal-Martians there...