Mark says: "As long as you seem incapable of even understanding why people doubt your arguments and blame it all on conspiracies you will continue to be considered a pseudo-science hack by most here."

You and the others on this amateur astronomers bbs have it all wrong and only wish to see it that way. The best way for me to show you all of you have been wrong about your assessments of Dr. Levin's work, Mars, and life is to simply wait until the Beagle 2 data comes in. Not that it is needed, but just to shut you up once and for all.

Mark says: "As for your Cardiff university "position" you neve raddressed my questions on what that actually entails."

Well let's see, the fact that I was appointed to Cardiff for my work on planetary protection issues (ICAMSR) and my knowledge of lithobiontic rock coatings (something I have studied for nearly 20 years) by one of the most well known and respected astrophysists in the world, Dr. Chandra Wickramasinghe, is quite sufficient. Look at half the lame brains at NASA who say they are astobiologists and do nothing more than repeat the work of others. My comment on RL was meant to convey that just because he works in the field of astronomy by no means gives him licease as an expert. It boils down to what we all specialize in. You for example specialize in creating make believe scenario's of how humans can live on Mars by thinking simulations in the comfortable environment of Utah are analogs to Mars. Sorry, I don't buy it. You aren't going to Mars, niether is tne Mars Society. Mars will be off limits to human beings for a century or more.

BD