Charlotte Schmuck December 13, 2013
Earth Science
“Ancient Martian Lake May Have Supported Life”
This article is about a large freshwater lake that was located on Mars 3.5 million years ago, which was about the same time scientists think life started on earth. Last year, a rover called Curiosity, landed on Mars, in the same crater this lake was located. It is not know if life actually existed on Mars, but from the data coming back from Curiosity, it is possible that life existed when the lake existed. Dr. Grotzinger, a professor of geology at the California Institute of Technology, said, “Potentially the aqueous stream, lake, groundwater system could have existed for millions to tens of millions of years.” Today, Mars is cold and uninhabitable, but when it formed and cooled 4.5 million years ago, it was a warmer place. Scientist have found several place on Mars that could have been habitable at one point. However, it would have also been an extremely challenging environment to live in, because it was salty and highly acidic. The site for Curiosity to land was chosen because of the clay minerals that were identified to be present there. These minerals form in water with a neutral pH. However, what hasn’t been found are the carbon molecules known as organics, which are the building blocks of life. A professor also estimated that sediments eroded from rocks that are 4.2 billion years old. Scientists are now trying to find rocks that have been exposed to radiation recently, so it is more likely to find organicsm, if any are present.
This connects to present-day society, because if life existed on Mars at one point in time, life might have existed on other planets in our solar system, or in other solar systems around us. This must have been very exciting to scientists, to learn that life was once possible on another planet other than Earth.
The articles used a lot of good quotes from more than one person. It started out with general information, but became very detailed. There was a lot of useful information, and everything was explained really well. The title was what caught my attention right away, and I enjoyed reading the article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/10/science/space/on-mars-an-ancient-lake-and-perhaps-life.html?ref=space
Chang, Kenneth. "Ancient Martian Lake May Have Supported Life." The New York Times 9 Dec. 2013: n. pag. NY Times. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.
I liked how informational your article was and how you related it to us. I also liked how you used a quote to add more depth to your paper. I did not know that Mars used to be a lot warmer 4.5 million years ago and that that would make it a better place for life to happen. I also did not realize that rocks exposed to radiation were more likely to have organisms. I would have added more to your last two paragraphs and added more information about why mars would have been suitable for life then but not now.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your article, and I agree with what Dryden said. I thought the quote you added by the professor really added depth to your article. It really made the argument about having lakes and streams on Mars more convincing. I also liked how you really explained about the clay minerals and carbon molecules because without those information, it would have been hard to understand. It seemed like you really understood what your article was about, and you were able to explain it really nicely. What really shocked me was the fact that Curiosity was able to collect so much information that scientists were able to conclude that the freshwater lake could have had existing organisms in it. Also, I was surprised that Mars had clay minerals on it. I had always expected it to just be hard rocks and other stuff, but I definitely didn't expect clay minerals, and how they formed because of the water with neutral pH. I really enjoyed reading your summary of the article and learned a lot more about Mars from it, but I think that the last two paragraphs could have been more informative. Since you really enjoyed this article, I'm wondering if there was anything in the article that you would have changed or anything that you would have wanted to know more about. Overall, it was a really interesting article, so good job.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte,
ReplyDeleteI thought that you presented the information from your article well, I also liked how you made it clear and easy to understand. Another aspect of your review that I found particularly enjoyable was that it was concise, yet informative. A couple things that I learned from your article was that there was water on mars and that there could possibly be life on another planet! Another thing that I was informed of was the environment of Mars, I did not know that it was salty and acidic. One thing in particular that I would change in your review was the critique section. I didn't see that portion in the assignment. Another thing that could be added to is the relevance paragraph, if you just included a little more analysis the review would have been spot on! Over all you did a very nice job and I enjoyed reading your review very much!.
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ReplyDeleteI really liked this article, I thought it was a great choice because it is very relevant to us today, and tells us more about our solar system that we didn't know about before. I had no idea that there could possibly be life on other planets, and water on mars. I thought you could've added a little bit to you second and third paragraph, and explain more about why this is relevant to us and why we should care. Overall, great job, it was a very interesting and informative article.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your current event article. Reading about the freshwater lake that was on Mars so long ago. You included so much information in your current event and I learned a lot. For example, I now know that freshwater was found on Mars, leading to the possibility of life on Mars. Also, I learned that Mars was once a planet with a warmer climate. It is interesting to think about the possibility of life on Mars and Mars being a differently composed planet. Within your current event, besides including great details, I think you made good connections to the importance of this article in aspects of life today. Another thing I liked about your current event article was how you didn’t include too much information, making it boring to read and confusing. But I do believe that you could’ve gone slightly more in depth when discussing the details, rather than just a vague description. The only suggestions I have for you would be to discuss your topics more and proofread your writing because there were a few small mistakes. As a whole though, I thought your current event article was extremely fascinating and you did a good job choosing your article.
Great job, Charlotte! This topic was very interesting to read about, and this report was very well written. I think that the idea that life could have potentially existed on Mars at one point is an idea that is hard to wrap one’s head around, but you presented this information in a way that was easy for a reader to understand. Also, how you explained that an ancient lake ones existed on the now barren planet kept the report interesting because of all the details that you added. A section of your report I really enjoyed reading about was your comparison between the Mars that existed 4.5 billion years ago, with the ancient lake and possible life forms, versus the Mars that we see in the sky now, was well written and made the reader think about your topic and ask questions to themselves involving that ideas that you put forward. I was extremely impressed that with the technology we have now, it is possible to pinpoint exactly where a lake that possibly existed millions of years ago was located. Also, I was impressed that from tiny samples of clay, we can test for molecules that encourage life, the pH balance of minerals, and much more. A new piece of information I learned was that at one point Mar was potentially a salty and acidic planet, which could support life, but with very harsh conditions. Another piece of new information I leaved was that the lake that scientists are now looking for could have possibly existed of tens of millions of years. One suggestion I have to improve your report would be to voice your own opinion on that matter, like whether you believe in this lake existing or not. Great job overall!
ReplyDeleteCharlotte,
ReplyDeleteI was scrolling through the list of blogs I could read and yours caught my eye because of the length. I would think that it caught the eyes of seven other commenters because of similar reasons. Although, when I started to read it, there were several more reasons on why I wanted to continue. I enjoyed how informational your article was and how you related it to us. You really put a lot of information into this review and I think that others tend to use more "fluff" when writing theirs. Also the title really struck my attention because I had heard of this lake but wanted to better my knowledge. I also think that you used the authors quotes to your advantage and not just throwing them in here and there. I did not know that Mars used to be a lot warmer 4.5 million years ago and that that would make it a better place for life to happen. I was really quite blown away by some of the information you placed in your review description. The only aspect of your review that I think deserves constructive criticism is your relevance or analysis paragraph. I think that you get your main points down but need to get more in depth reasoning. Otherwise, I was enthralled by your great review
Good Job,
Andrew