"Claims" is the right word. I'm an optimist, and having read the paper
concerned, the science looks good. But still, *none* of the evidence found
is conclusive.
(UK readers may be interested to see a bit of the meteorite concerned in
the Natural History Museum)
My interests from this angle are geology and astronomy, but ...
> --- It is possible that CP life came from other
> planets...perhaps Mars.
It is unlikely that *any* living life came from Mars. Even getting the
primitive organisms that might be in ALH84001 to survive the journey is
unlikely. They then have to survive a completely new environment...
Amino acids and other "organic" molecules are a possibility. And the idea of
life being seeded by these organic molecules from space, is becoming more
and more main-stream science.
> --- Most CPs are found in swamps, which would
> have provided a soft landing ground for meteors.
I don't think a swamp or hard rock makes much difference...
> --- Many CPs prefer low light conditions, which
> matches the solar environment on Mars.
Mine like the sun. British weather is bright than Martian weather too...
> --- Mars is cooler than the earth, which
> explains why so many people have trouble
> growing CPs in a greenhouse.
Again, Mars is colder than virtually all/all parts of the Earth. Most
CPs are comfortable/prefer a UK house or greenhouse -type environment.
> --- Surface photos of Mars show signs of a
> civilization (the face, the pyramids, other
> buildings). CPs may have been brought there
Don't make me laugh.
There is no face. There are no pyramids or other buildings.
> from other solar systems and cultivated by
> a race of CP enthusiasts who were exterminated
> in an intergalactic war.
Ditto.
> --- CPs require lots of water, which explains
> Lowell's observations of Martian canals and
> melting ice caps.
Lowell didn't observe any canals. The very name "canal" is actually a
mis-translation from Schiapelli's observations. He thought he saw lines
and called them "canali" (Italian for channels). It is an optical illusion.
No lines have been seen by the majority of observers this century. No
spacecraft have seen any lines. The maps of the lines aren't even consistent.
> --- CP cultivation may have overtaxed the
> Martian water supply, causing massive
> environmental changes that destroyed the
> planet.
!!??!??
> --- Mars is red, and many CPs retain red
> coloration.
Mars is red because the upper surface is rusty - its Iron (III) Oxide. This
has been proven beyond all reasonable doubt.
> --- A meteor may have destroyed Peter Pauls
> stock of good CPs, which may explain some people's
> dissatisfaction with them.
:-)
Richard