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We Might Have Accidentally Killed the Only Life We Ever Found on Mars Nearly 50 Years Ago - JSTOR Daily (daily.jstor.org)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There are stories that I wish would go away because they are just completely unsubstantiated. This is one of them.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The article offers an explanation of the Viking test results, why do you think it's unsubstantiated?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Because it's without substance. I has no substant to be aited. This claim is actively harmful to science.

https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4754

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

You didn't answer the question.

It's interesting how the article you linked presents the conclusion

microbial life is not ruled out by the new results; but the fact is that the original Labeled Release results make sense with the chemistry of Martian soil as it's now understood, no microbial life needed.

Meanwhile the paper it references concludes

the chlorine component of the chlorobenzene is martian, and the carbon molecule of the chlorobenzene is consistent with a martian origin, though we cannot fully rule out instrument contamination.

Which would seem to be the same thing but with opposite probability biases. Your link is twisting its source material.

This claim is actively harmful to science.

This is hyperbole.