More Updates:

Man shot, killed by police on Tucson's South SideEx-NFL quarterback's death raises questions about relationshp with womanTucson-area cops to join AG for crime forumRoad Runner by Andrea Kelly: Traffic laws we have forgottenWho are Tucson's rising stars?Tucsonans share memories of man landing on the moonWalt Disney World monorail crash kills employeeTexas teen says father wrapped chain around himCalderon opponents poised to gain in vote for Mexican CongressToday's interactive map of crime in TucsonTucson gas-price tracker: StarNet helps you save at the pump

Related articles:

Chemical doesn't rule out Mars life

Other articles by Aaron Mackey:

UA-led space research concludes Mars once had water, perhaps life UA's biggest college gets interim dean Deal lets students pursue bachelor's degrees online UA fraternity's hazing documentedUA report cites hazing at fraternity booted from campus Incoming president of regents aims to cut students' costs UA lags in money made off its innovationsRegents like C+ transfer requirementRegents call for cooperation Regents OK 5-year deal, highest pay for Miller

Construction
West-Press
Printing Finance and Accounting
Charles E. Gillman Company
Accounting Specialist Health Care
Dependable Health Services
Physical Therapists Trades/Construction
RANCHO RESORT
MAINTANANCE POSITION Administrative & Professional
Jorgensen Brooks Group
Counselor Sales and Marketing
Everready Glass
Sales Reps Mechanical
Komatsu Equipment Co
Resident Field Mechanic

The unanticipated discovery of a mineral in Mars’ arctic soil doesn’t rule out the possibility that the red planet could support life, scientists with the Phoenix lander said today.

While cautioning that the discovery of perchlorate, an oxidizing agent found in rocket fuel, still had to be confirmed by more experiments, scientists with the UA-led Phoenix Mars Mission rejected speculation that the mineral’s presence killed the possibility of life on the planet.

“These compounds are quite stable and don’t destroy organic compounds,” said Peter Smith, the UA’s lead scientist for the mission. “This is an important piece in the puzzle and it is neither good nor bad for life.”

Mission scientists formally discussed their findings after a weekend of speculation that had many questioning whether the results of previous Phoenix experiments showing the planet to be hospitable to life had been overblown.

During a teleconference, scientists stood by previous conclusions that showed Martian soil tested by Phoenix to contain a soil rich with life-supporting minerals with very low acidity.

Instead of reversing previous conclusions or affirming what had been previously said, the presence of perchlorate complicates the questions of habitability on Mars, Smith said.

While perchlorate can be hazardous to some life forms on Earth, others use the molecules for life, including in remote arid desert regions.

“The interesting thing is perchlorate is a relatively inert oxidant,” said Richard Quinn, a mission scientist. “There are some microbes that use it as an energy source.”