Life On Mars..?

[Paul Mather]

On Wed, 7 Aug 1996, M Holmes wrote:

> Le Monsieur writes:
>
> > On Wed, 7 Aug 1996, Chris Bates wrote:
> > > The meteorite hits Antarctica N years ago. The fossils of the primitive
> > > lifeforms are greater than N years old so they must've been in the
> > > meteorite when it landed. It probably didn't stop off on the way so the
> > > lifeforms come from Mars.
> >
> > Well, that's assuming they were using dating techniques that work.
> > [Hmmm, maybe *I* should start using dating techniques that work... :) ]
> >
> > Seriously, though, C-14 dating is only accurate to something in 5
> > digits.  (20 or 30,000, is it?)  And even if they did try and
> > isotopically date it with something more accurate, they are making a
> > HUGE-ass umption:  that the isotopic ratio in Mars' atmosphere is
> > comparable to Earth's.
>
> Couldn't they have dated it by the layer of the pack ice they found it in?

Don't they use isochron dating nowadays, which, I believe, is more
accurate than C-14 dating and, more importantly, is inherently
self-checking?  You can find out more than you'd ever want to know about
this topic in the talk.origins FAQ on the subject.

Cheers,

Paul.

obCD: Spinal Tap, _Break Like the Wind_

e-mail: paul at csgrad.cs.vt.edu                    A stranger in a strange land.