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Chloroamino Acids As A Chemical Explanation For Viking Labeled Release Soil Activity On Mars, John C. Hironimus
Chloroamino Acids As A Chemical Explanation For Viking Labeled Release Soil Activity On Mars, John C. Hironimus
STAR Program Research Presentations
The Viking missions to Mars, which took place in the 1970’s, performed several experiments on martian soil in an attempt to discern if there was microbial life present. In one set of experiments, a nutrient solution containing amino acids and organic substrates tagged with carbon-14 was injected into sample cells containing martian soil, and the evolution of labeled CO2 was monitored. The evolution of labeled CO2 indicated that there was a process occurring that broke down the nutrients in solution and released CO2 as a byproduct. Cellular metabolism releases CO2, so this result supported the idea of microbial life on …