Mark,

I am sure the Spanish inquistion thought Giordano Bruno and Galileo were practicing psuedoscince too.

The truth is you don't really know anything about me accept that I disagree with your rediculous stance about sending humans to Mars in the short term. To prove you don't know anything about me you said:

"It is quite safe to say however that I have never made claims that have received as sound a scientific thumping as Hoyle. Yours don't even rate scientific rebuttal since none of your psudo-science has been published in a journal"

Well Mark - I have been published in abracts of the LPI, and the proceedings of the SPIE, and even your sacred Mars Society Proceedings. I had another paper presented for the SPIE in Hawaii this year...so I ask where are your papers? By what right do you have to insult my work as a science writer and researcher? Because I disagree with you? How inmature!

Mark please cut and paste:

http://spie.org/scripts/abstract.pl?bibcode=2002SPIE%2e4495%2e%2e120D&page=1&qs=spie

Rock varnish as a habitat for extant life on Mars
DiGregorio, Barry E., Univ. of Wales Cardiff
Publication: Proc. SPIE Vol. 4495, p. 120-130, Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology IV, Richard B. Hoover; Gilbert V. Levin; Roland R. Paepe; Alexei Y. Rozanov; Eds.
Publication Date: 2/2002

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstract:
Many of the rocks on the surface of Mars that have been imaged by the Viking and Mars Pathfinder Landers display dark shiny surface coatings resembling Mn-rich terrestrial rock varnish. On our planet, these thin (5 um - 1 mm) coatings can be the result of a combination of various weathering processes combined with microbial precipitation of mineral oxides over a wide variety of geographical locations but most commonly in those with arid and semi-arid conditions. Terrestrial Mn-rich rock varnish is produced by a wide variety of microorganisms including epilithic and edolithic cyanobacteria, bacteria and microcolonial fungi. As these microorganisms absorb trace amounts of Mn and Fe from atmospheric dust, rain and fog, they slowly precipitate 'reddish' iron and 'brown to black' manganese oxides as well as magnetite particles. These microbial communities then produce secretions that cement the Mn/Fe mix together with clay particles in a process involving time periods of perhaps thousands of years for a thin 5 um layer. Mn-rich rock varnish has been found to form on the surfaces of undisturbed desert fragments and even sand grains. Both Mn and Fe would serve as a UV shield for any microflora residing beneath and within the layers of varnish thus protecting against high UV irradiation, dissication, and widely varying temperature extremes. Recent research on rock varnish has led to the discovery that some microbial communities that produce dark ferromanganese varnishes also precipitate biogenic magnetite. In view recent independent evidence put forth by D. McKay and E.I. Friedmann et al for indigenous biogenic magnetite-chains in ALH 84001 along with meteorological models showing the possibility for small quantities of liquid water on the surface of Mars in combination with data obtained from the Viking LR experiment 27 years ago, recommendations are made to elucidate on whether or not the shiny dark-coatings covering some Martian rocks have been produced by living or extinct microbial communities.

Then -- Mark you say: "I'm getting off your psuedo-science merry-goround now. If you want to discuss a technical issue I might respond. Your personal issues tactics will not be responded to further."

You attacked me personally and are not even man enough to apollogize to me for it. Instead you apollogize to the board for even responding to me trying to make me look like I sta=rted this thread. Well I didn't, you did! Then although you say you won't waste time on me anymore you respond anyway!!!

Okay Mark, let's talk science -- How do you feel about the possibility of extant lithobiontic rock coatings on Mars? - Is this the kind of "psuedo-science" you refer to that I study? At least its not some silly notion of sending humans to Mars without even checking out the potential for humans to survive the journey or looking for any extant microbial life first!

I have heard nothing original from you except the dogma you preach about near-term Earth colonies on Mars. If NASA cannot come up with a safe and financially feasible way to get there how can a group of 700 Trekie types hope to do it? Who is practicing psuedo-science here, you or me?

Adios Amigo

Barry