Known non-biological sources, from meteorites to surface chemistry, fall short of accounting for organic compounds detected by NASA’s Curiosity rover, according to a new study published in the journal Astrobiology.
A xenonaut sits in a bar with a glass of whiskey in one hand and a cigar in another.
A xenobiologist walks in and sits next to them.
“What was it today? Caustic gas? Acidic rain?”
“A fern.”
The xenobiologist raises an eyebrow surprised by the despair in their tone.
“What’s so bad about a fern?” She asked. “That’s amazing evidence of convergent evolution!”
“Not just any fern. The same fern. Alpha, gamma, delta, epsilon quadrant, all of them have the same genetic blueprint.” He continued putting his cigar out in his drink.
“That’s… amazing! Exciting news even! I mean, celebrate, live a little! You’ve found that the tree of life has roots!” She tried to cheer him up.
“The common… domesticated fern, from here.” He says, getting up and departing, gesturing to the ferns growing on the campus green.
A xenonaut sits in a bar with a glass of whiskey in one hand and a cigar in another.
A xenobiologist walks in and sits next to them.
“What was it today? Caustic gas? Acidic rain?”
“A fern.”
The xenobiologist raises an eyebrow surprised by the despair in their tone.
“What’s so bad about a fern?” She asked. “That’s amazing evidence of convergent evolution!”
“Not just any fern. The same fern. Alpha, gamma, delta, epsilon quadrant, all of them have the same genetic blueprint.” He continued putting his cigar out in his drink.
“That’s… amazing! Exciting news even! I mean, celebrate, live a little! You’ve found that the tree of life has roots!” She tried to cheer him up.
“The common… domesticated fern, from here.” He says, getting up and departing, gesturing to the ferns growing on the campus green.