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Monday, August 12, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Alien life could make science our friend again &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The strong evidence that life, even if it looked like microscopic sausages, &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; once flourished on Mars has piqued the world's interest like no space event
since the moon landingsNewspapers around the world made it their top story. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Scientists began a lively, global debate on the findings. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And, in the surest sign that the news has excited average blokes, a British
bookie slashed his odds on the discovery of intelligent life elsewhere in the
universe from 500-to-1 to 25-to-1. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The clues discovered in that meteorite from Mars are also winning new
attention for a series of Mars probes -- American, Russian and Japanese --
planned to land on or orbit around the red planet through 2005. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Here's hoping that the renewed interest leads to more funding and
international cooperation in space exploration and science in general. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Too often in the decades since man last walked on the moon, science has
been given short shrift -- remember the canceled super collider in Texas that
remains just a large hole in the ground? And there always will be those who
question the expense of such projects as the Hubble telescope, despite the
spectacular peeks at the heavens and clues to planets around other stars it
has given the world. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Perhaps the excitement of finding evidence of life elsewhere, maybe even
right next door, will give science a much-needed boost. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Dr. Neal Lane of the National Science Foundation said the new evidence of
life on Mars "reignites the excitement of discovery and pioneering spirit
which motivates all science." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Science, in its striving to measure and explain the universe around us, is
the highest expression of humankind's abiding curiosity. While space
exploration often leads to new products and ideas that make our everyday lives
easier, the real driving force behind it is man's burning need to know. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 To paraphrase scientist Carl Sagan, perhaps we are the universe's way of
looking at itself. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And isn't it kind of reassuring that maybe the glorious spectacle of the
cosmos is being observed and enjoyed by others besides ourselves? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Alien Life Could Make Science Our Friend Again 
The Strong Evidence That Life, Even If It Looked Like Microscopic Sausages, 
Once Flourished On Mars Has Piqued The World's Interest Like No Space Event 
Since The Moon Landings.

Alien Life Could Make Science Our Friend Again The Strong Evidence That Life, Even If It Looked Like Microscopic Sausages, Once Flourished On Mars Has Piqued The World's Interest Like No Space Event Since The Moon Landings.