OT proposed - Want to Breathe on Mars? A Sea-Dwelling Bacteria Could Make That Possible.

[a425couple]

from
https://futurism.com/cyanobacteria-oxygen-mars/

Want to Breathe on Mars? A Sea-Dwelling Bacteria Could Make That Possible.
NASA/Matthewjparker/Victor Tangermann
by Kristin Houser June 17, 2018 Off World
Forget constructing cool Martian habitats, growing food, or digging
tunnels. If we can’t figure out a way to breathe on Mars, what’s the
point of all of our colonization plans?

Now, we may have a new hope in the hunt for a steady supply of oxygen on
the Red Planet: cyanobacteria. This family of bacteria sucks up carbon
dioxide and discharges oxygen in some of Earth’s most inhospitable
environments. On Friday, a team of researchers published a new study in
the journal Science linking the tiny organisms to the possibility of
human life on Mars.

Remember photosynthesis? It’s how plants and other organisms convert
sunlight into energy. Cyanobacteria also use photosynthesis to produce
energy, but they’re able to do so in conditions with far less sunlight
than what you need to grow your tomato plants. In fact, scientists have
found cyanobacteria thriving in the deepest trenches in the ocean.

A key part of the photosynthesis process is the chemical chlorophyll.
Most plants and organisms convert visible light into energy using
chlorophyll-a. The researchers figured out that cyanobacteria use a
special kind of chlorophyll, chlorophyll-f, to convert far-red/near
infrared light into energy. This is how they’re able to live in such
low-light environments.

“This work redefines the minimum energy needed in light to drive
photosynthesis,” study co-author Jennifer Morton said in a news release.
“This type of photosynthesis may well be happening in your garden, under
a rock.”

The upshot: we can send cyanobacteria to Mars to produce oxygen for
colonists in the future, the researchers note. We’ve already found the
organisms living in the Mojave Desert, Antarctica, and even on the
exterior of the International Space Station (ISS), so they seem
well-equipped to survive the harsh conditions of our planetary neighbor.

“This might sound like science fiction, but space agencies and private
companies around the world are actively trying to turn this aspiration
into reality in the not-too-distant future,” said study co-author Elmars
Krausz in the press release. “Photosynthesis could theoretically be
harnessed with these types of organisms to create air for humans to
breathe on Mars.”

Now that we have a solid lead on a source of extraterrestrial oxygen, go
ahead and start mentally constructing that Martian habitat of your
dreams. You might not be able to actually live in it for another couple
of decades, but at least you’ll likely be able to breathe once you move in.

[a425couple]

On 6/18/2018 10:03 AM, a425couple wrote:
> from
> https://futurism.com/cyanobacteria-oxygen-mars/
>
> Want to Breathe on Mars? A Sea-Dwelling Bacteria Could Make That Possible.

> Now, we may have a new hope in the hunt for a steady supply of oxygen on
> the Red Planet: cyanobacteria. This family of bacteria sucks up carbon
> dioxide and discharges oxygen in some of Earth’s most inhospitable
> environments.

and another similar version
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/weird-low-light-bacteria-could-potentially-thrive-on-mars/

Weird Low-Light Bacteria Could Potentially Thrive on Mars
The photosynthetic organisms subsist on redder, lower-energy light than
other species, and could be a new source of fuel and air for
interplanetary outposts

By Sarah Lewin, SPACE.com on June 18, 2018

Weird Low-Light Bacteria Could Potentially Thrive on Mars
Credit: Getty Images
An international team of scientists has found that a strange type of
bacteria can turn light into fuel in incredibly dim environments.

Similar bacteria could someday help humans colonize Mars and expand our
search for life on other planets, researchers said in a statement
released with the new work.

Organisms called cyanobacteria absorb sunlight to create energy,
releasing oxygen in the process. But until now, researchers thought
these bacteria could absorb only specific, higher-energy wavelengths of
light. The new work reveals that at least one species of cyanobacteria,
called Chroococcidiopsis thermalis—which lives in some of the world's
most extreme environments—can absorb redder (less energetic) wavelengths
of light, thus allowing it to thrive in dark conditions, such as deep
underwater in hot springs. [Extreme Life on Earth: 8 Bizarre Creatures]

"This work redefines the minimum energy needed in light to drive

photosynthesis," Jennifer Morton, a researcher at Australian National
University (ANU) and a co-author of the new work, said in the statement.

"This type of photosynthesis may well be happening in your garden, under

a rock." (In fact, a related species has even been found living inside
rocks in the desert.)

By studying the physical mechanism behind these organisms' absorption
abilities, researchers are learning more about how photosynthesis
works—and raising the possibility of using similar low-light organisms
to generate oxygen in places like Mars.

"This might sound like science fiction, but space agencies and private
companies around the world are actively trying to turn this aspiration

into reality in the not-too-distant future," Elmars Krausz, study
co-author and a professor emeritus at ANU, said in the statement.

"Photosynthesis could theoretically be harnessed with these types of
organisms to create air for humans to breathe on Mars.

"Low-light-adapted organisms, such as the cyanobacteria we've been
studying, can grow under rocks and potentially survive the harsh
conditions on the Red Planet," Krausz added.

Researchers originally thought that a particular chlorophyll pigment,
called chlorophyll f, helped capture light but couldn't directly
participate in converting it into energy, according to the new work,
which was released yesterday (June 14) in the journal Science. But this
research shows that, in fact, the pigment does participate in energy
conversion, and lets the organism pull energy from longer wavelengths
than ever observed.

"Chlorophyll adapted to absorb visible light is very important in
photosynthesis for most plants, but our research identifies the
so-called 'red' chlorophylls as critical components in photosynthesis in
low-light conditions," Morton said.

Not to mention, it could play a key role in the search for life beyond
Earth: "Searching for the signature fluorescence from these pigments
could help identify extra-terrestrial life," she said. Knowing such
organisms exist on Earth not only broadens where we look for alien
organisms but also suggests what to search for when we look.

Copyright 2018 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)
Sarah Lewin
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[J. Clarke]

On Mon, 18 Jun 2018 10:15:53 -0700, a425couple
<a425c...@hotmail.com> wrote:

>On 6/18/2018 10:03 AM, a425couple wrote:
>> from
>> https://futurism.com/cyanobacteria-oxygen-mars/
>>
>> Want to Breathe on Mars? A Sea-Dwelling Bacteria Could Make That Possible.
>> Now, we may have a new hope in the hunt for a steady supply of oxygen on
>> the Red Planet: cyanobacteria. This family of bacteria sucks up carbon
>> dioxide and discharges oxygen in some of Earth’s most inhospitable
>> environments.
>
>and another similar version
>https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/weird-low-light-bacteria-could-potentially-thrive-on-mars/

The trouble with this notion is that there isn't much CO2 on Mars
either. So the cyanobacteria could separate _all_ of it and there
still wouldn't be a breathable atmosphere.

[Robert Carnegie]

I think the idea is just to produce enough oxygen
from CO2 for your personal consumption, while you are
a near-inexhaustible source of CO2, at a limited rate.

[Lynn McGuire]

Yup, Kim Stanley Robinson wants to crash a comet into Mars. Then build
many nuclear reactors to melt the water.
https://www.amazon.com/Red-Mars-Trilogy-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0553560735/
Lynn

[Dorothy J Heydt]

In article <883jidpvm7akms7ji...@4ax.com>,

What we need to do to Mars before trying to give it an atmosphere
is to restart its magnetic field. I'm working on and off (mostly
off) on a space opera in which that was done, and Mars
subsequently terraformed, back in the mythical times Before The
Interregnum which nobody remembers much of, so that I don't have
to explain how it was done. :)

--
Dorothy J. Heydt
Vallejo, California
djheydt at gmail dot com

[Dorothy J Heydt]

In article <pgc6jb$b36$1...@dont-email.me>,

An asteroid crashing into Mars is credited (?) with turning the
planet's magnetic field off in the first place. Whether doing it
again would reboot the field is something I don't know.

[Lynn McGuire]

On 6/19/2018 7:46 PM, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:
> In article <pgc6jb$b36$1...@dont-email.me>,
> Lynn McGuire <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 6/19/2018 6:10 PM, J. Clarke wrote:
>>> On Mon, 18 Jun 2018 10:15:53 -0700, a425couple
>>> <a425c...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 6/18/2018 10:03 AM, a425couple wrote:
>>>>> from
>>>>> https://futurism.com/cyanobacteria-oxygen-mars/
>>>>>
>>>>> Want to Breathe on Mars? A Sea-Dwelling Bacteria Could Make That Possible.
>>>>> Now, we may have a new hope in the hunt for a steady supply of oxygen on
>>>>> the Red Planet: cyanobacteria. This family of bacteria sucks up carbon

>>>>> dioxide and discharges oxygen in some of Earth’s most inhospitable

>>>>> environments.
>>>>
>>>> and another similar version
>>>>
>> https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/weird-low-light-bacteria-could-potentially-thrive-on-mars/
>>>
>>> The trouble with this notion is that there isn't much CO2 on Mars
>>> either. So the cyanobacteria could separate _all_ of it and there
>>> still wouldn't be a breathable atmosphere.
>>
>> Yup, Kim Stanley Robinson wants to crash a comet into Mars. Then build
>> many nuclear reactors to melt the water.
>> https://www.amazon.com/Red-Mars-Trilogy-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0553560735/
>> Lynn
>
> An asteroid crashing into Mars is credited (?) with turning the
> planet's magnetic field off in the first place. Whether doing it
> again would reboot the field is something I don't know.

That is very tough to simulate. Therefore, try it. What could go wrong ?

Lynn

[Dimensional Traveler]

"Cockroach astronomers would call the period 'The Recent Heavy
Bombardment'."


--
Inquiring minds want to know while minds with a self-preservation
instinct are running screaming.

[Lynn McGuire]

Uh, we are talking about Mars. Not Earth. Please not Earth.

Lynn

[Robert Carnegie]

Are we talking about actual Mars or your personal vision?
Hmm... I got the idea Mars's core cooled down and is solid,
but it seems not. Not all of it.

Earth has a magnetic field because of fluid moving in the
core, I think. Mars indeed doesn't have a magnetic field,
but I think that the core wouldn't notice an "ordinary"
sized asteroid striking the surface. But the idea that
a shower of asteroids or one big one did it, seems to
b around.

[J. Clarke]

I find myself wondering if Earth's magnetic field is the result of
tidal activity in the core--the Moon keeps things going in other
words.

[Dimensional Traveler]

Where do you think those pieces of planet the cockroach astronomers are
talking about came from to rain down on Earth?

[hamis...@gmail.com]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/magnetic/reve-drives.html

[Juho Julkunen]

In article <pgci4s$qsn$1...@dont-email.me>, dtr...@sonic.net says...

>
> On 6/19/2018 7:31 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> > On 6/19/2018 9:26 PM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
> >> On 6/19/2018 6:48 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> >>> On 6/19/2018 7:46 PM, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:
> >>>> In article <pgc6jb$b36$1...@dont-email.me>,
> >>>> Lynn McGuire  <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>>> On 6/19/2018 6:10 PM, J. Clarke wrote:
> >>>>>> On Mon, 18 Jun 2018 10:15:53 -0700, a425couple
> >>>>>> <a425c...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>> On 6/18/2018 10:03 AM, a425couple wrote:
> >>>>>>>> from
> >>>>>>>> https://futurism.com/cyanobacteria-oxygen-mars/
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> Want to Breathe on Mars? A Sea-Dwelling Bacteria Could Make That
> >>>>>>>> Possible.
> >>>>>>>> Now, we may have a new hope in the hunt for a steady supply of
> >>>>>>>> oxygen on
> >>>>>>>> the Red Planet: cyanobacteria. This family of bacteria sucks up
> >>>>>>>> carbon

> >>>>>>>> dioxide and discharges oxygen in some of Earth�s most

> >>>>>>>> inhospitable
> >>>>>>>> environments.
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> and another similar version
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>> https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/weird-low-light-bacteria-could-potentially-thrive-on-mars/
> >>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> The trouble with this notion is that there isn't much CO2 on Mars
> >>>>>> either.  So the cyanobacteria could separate _all_ of it and there
> >>>>>> still wouldn't be a breathable atmosphere.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Yup, Kim Stanley Robinson wants to crash a comet into Mars.  Then
> >>>>> build
> >>>>> many nuclear reactors to melt the water.
> >>>>> https://www.amazon.com/Red-Mars-Trilogy-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0553560735/
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Lynn
> >>>>
> >>>> An asteroid crashing into Mars is credited (?) with turning the
> >>>> planet's magnetic field off in the first place.  Whether doing it
> >>>> again would reboot the field is something I don't know.
> >>>
> >>> That is very tough to simulate.  Therefore, try it.  What could go
> >>> wrong ?
> >>>
> >> "Cockroach astronomers would call the period 'The Recent Heavy
> >> Bombardment'."
> >
> > Uh, we are talking about Mars.  Not Earth.  Please not Earth.
> >
> Where do you think those pieces of planet the cockroach astronomers are
> talking about came from to rain down on Earth?

In my most recent Stellaris run I found a star named Sol, and Sol III
was a Tomb World (an irradiated post-apocalyptic world). It was
inhabited by a pre-sapient Arthropod species called "Cockrocahces". I
uplifted them.

I did also get an opportunity to try to terraforming a planet with a
judiciously placed asteroid. Unfortunately the scientist in charge
messed it up. Didn't blow up the planet, though.

--
Juho Julkunen

[a425couple]

In the Star Trek series, "Star Trek Twilight's End" by
Jerry Oltion, they plan to start a planet spinning.
Which, would probably be one way.

from
https://www.amazon.com/Twilights-End-Star-Trek-Original-ebook/dp/B000FC0VY8

"Unlike most planets, Rimillia does not spin upon its axis so its day
and night sides are subject to perpetual extremes of hot and cold.
Habitation has only been possible on a thin band of the planet's
surface...until now.
Using gigantic impulse engines of unimaginable power, the alien Dumada
intend to start Rimillia rotating, rendering the entire world fit for
colonization. Yet some fear the enormous stresses involved may tear the
planet apart.
Assigned to assist the Dumada, Captain Kirk must rescue a kidnapped
scientist vital to the rotation project. But, once the giant engines are
activated, can even Scotty save Rimillia -- and the U.S.S. Enterprise™
-- from total destruction."

[D B Davis]

*spoiler space*


A malfunction catapults the ship /Hogan's Goat/ several billion years
into the future in "One Face" (Niven). The premise is that you can
think your way through any problem.
The /Goat's/ crew and passengers finds themselves in an aged Solar
system where only one side of a now spinless Earth faces a shrunken Sun.
For lack of any alternative, the /Goat/ lands near the Earth's equator.
Then the ship's unobtainium is used to kickstart the Earth's spin.

✍

Thank you,

--
Don

[Dimensional Traveler]

Nitpick: In both those cases the planets actually are rotating. They
have to be in order for the same hemisphere to remain facing the star
while the planet orbits. That situation is call "tidal lock". A planet
that was not rotating would have a day the same length as its year.

[D B Davis]

> Nitpick: In both those cases the planets actually are rotating. They
> have to be in order for the same hemisphere to remain facing the star
> while the planet orbits. That situation is call "tidal lock". A planet
> that was not rotating would have a day the same length as its year.

Split o' the nit: rotate ≠ spin

From my _Oxford Dictionary_:

rotate
move or cause to move in a circle round an axis or centre.

spin
turn or whirl round quickly.

✍

Thank you,

--
Don

[Peter Trei]

Let's NOT start that pointless debate again.

Some people just can't get that there are multiple valid frames of reference.

pt

[D B Davis]

Peter Trei <pete...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wednesday, June 20, 2018 at 7:00:38 PM UTC-4, D B Davis wrote:

<snip>

>> Split o' the nit: rotate ≠ spin
>>
>> From my _Oxford Dictionary_:
>>
>> rotate
>> move or cause to move in a circle round an axis or centre.
>>
>> spin
>> turn or whirl round quickly.
>
> Let's NOT start that pointless debate again.
>
> Some people just can't get that there are multiple valid frames of reference.

Your "frame of reference" nitsplit spin spin beats my Oxfordian pedantry
like a drum. You elegantly put the idea into words. Excellent!

✍

Thank you,

--
Don

[Greg Goss]

Dimensional Traveler <dtr...@sonic.net> wrote:

>Nitpick: In both those cases the planets actually are rotating. They
>have to be in order for the same hemisphere to remain facing the star
>while the planet orbits. That situation is call "tidal lock". A planet
>that was not rotating would have a day the same length as its year.

To most people living on a planet, unless you're an astronomer or
designing weather-prediction models, a rotating frame of reference is
the most useful one.

I am NOT travelling 700 miles per hour lying in bed.

--
We are geeks. Resistance is voltage over current.

[Greg Goss]

Peter Trei <pete...@gmail.com> wrote:

>Let's NOT start that pointless debate again.
>
>Some people just can't get that there are multiple valid frames of reference.

If you're doing some kinds of detail work, a non-inertial FOR can have
problems. But yeah.

[Dimensional Traveler]

I should hope not, the constant sonic boom would keep you awake at
night. ;)

[Chris Zakes]

On Tue, 19 Jun 2018 21:31:30 -0500, an orbital mind-control laser
caused Lynn McGuire <lynnmc...@gmail.com> to write:

>On 6/19/2018 9:26 PM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
>> On 6/19/2018 6:48 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
>>> On 6/19/2018 7:46 PM, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:
>>>> In article <pgc6jb$b36$1...@dont-email.me>,

(snip)

>>>> An asteroid crashing into Mars is credited (?) with turning the
>>>> planet's magnetic field off in the first place.  Whether doing it
>>>> again would reboot the field is something I don't know.
>>>
>>> That is very tough to simulate.  Therefore, try it.  What could go
>>> wrong ?
>>>
>> "Cockroach astronomers would call the period 'The Recent Heavy
>> Bombardment'."
>
>Uh, we are talking about Mars. Not Earth. Please not Earth.
>
>Lynn

I saw a headline this morning:

"America Isn't Ready to Handle a Catastrophic Asteroid Impact, New
Report Warns"

To which my immediate response was "Really? What was your first clue?
And do you actually know the meaning of the word 'catastrophic'?"

The article itself isn't too bad, just a dumb headline.
https://gizmodo.com/america-isnt-ready-to-handle-a-catastrophic-asteroid-im-1827014709

-Chris Zakes
Texas

--

GNU Terry Pratchett
Mind how you go.

[Lynn McGuire]

Hey, we are as ready as the dinosaurs were !

Lynn

[Dimensional Traveler]

Hell, my first thought after hearing that headline was "DUH! NO ONE is!"