Conspiracy: History’s Greatest Plots, Collusions and Cover-Ups by Charlotte Greig Page A
Authors: Charlotte Greig
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a press conference on 7 August 1996, pictures of the meteorite were shown. Long, worm-like structures, thought to be very tiny bacteria, could be discerned within the rock. This was a stunning discovery and it rekindled interest in the issue of life on the planet Mars once more. Some scientists claimed that the rock had simply undergone chemical changes during its passage to Earth, which had made these long, worm-like patterns on it, but others were convinced that the meteorite had once and for all confirmed that primitive forms of life inhabited the planet, or at least had done so at an earlier date.
T HE ORIGIN OF LIFE
In the new millennium, many more discoveries about Mars have been made by NASA. Evidence of subterranean lakes has been found and scientists now believe that Mars was once a planet with seas, which could conceivably have supported forms of life. The gas methane has also been noted to be present in the atmosphere of Mars, a finding that also points to unusual life forms there: organisms that can metabolize carbon dioxide and hydrogen to make methane. A recent survey conducted at a conference of the European Space Agency found that seventy-five per cent of scientists now accept that life on Mars once existed and twenty-five per cent believe that it continues to do so.
Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of the current climate of research is that it raises questions about how all life begins, not only on Mars but on Earth as well. Today, many scientists believe that there is no real mystery about the origin of life. It is not the hand of God or chance that causes it to begin, but the presence of just the right conditions, such as water and various gases. If the right conditions exist, life springs into being by itself.
The logical conclusion of this theory is that any planet in the universe that has the right conditions, for example water, can support primitive forms of life. It is now thought that there is not only water in the subterranean lakes on Mars, but also on Jupiter's moons, Callisto and Europa. Although it seems unlikely that there are alien beings on Mars – descendants of a vanished civilization who want to take over the planet Earth – a new possibility has been raised, that the universe is teeming with life forms that we have never encountered and as yet, have no knowledge of. And that, perhaps, is an even more fascinating possibility.
T HE H OLLOW E ARTH
From the earliest times, theories about life under the Earth have abounded. In Ancient Greece, an underworld peopled by the dead was envisaged, which was known as Hades, while Christian mythology conceived of a fiery subterranean place where the damned were sent to endure eternal torture. We know it as Hell. Different versions of these beliefs feature in many ancient religions the world over. But in modern times, there have also been many eminent thinkers and scientists, as well as fiction writers, who have picked up the idea. They describe a "hollow" Earth, often peopled by a prehistoric race, that is reached by a network of subterranean tunnels. Today, few believe that the Earth really is hollow, or that human beings live at the centre of it, but the idea of a different world underground, where some forms of life exist, still excites the imagination. Recent developments in science have shown that such a notion is not merely the stuff of science fiction.
H ALLEY'S INNER SPHERES
In 1692, the renowned English astronomer, Edmund Halley, came up with the idea that the Earth was hollow. As the man responsible for plotting the path of the comet named after him, Halley's opinion was taken seriously. He was an eminent man of science, after all. According to his theory, the reason that the Earth's magnetic field sometimes showed inexplicable variations was because there were other magnetic fields around it, causing opposing gravitational pulls. Halley came up with a new model of the Earth, in which four inner spheres were stacked inside
T HE ORIGIN OF LIFE
In the new millennium, many more discoveries about Mars have been made by NASA. Evidence of subterranean lakes has been found and scientists now believe that Mars was once a planet with seas, which could conceivably have supported forms of life. The gas methane has also been noted to be present in the atmosphere of Mars, a finding that also points to unusual life forms there: organisms that can metabolize carbon dioxide and hydrogen to make methane. A recent survey conducted at a conference of the European Space Agency found that seventy-five per cent of scientists now accept that life on Mars once existed and twenty-five per cent believe that it continues to do so.
Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of the current climate of research is that it raises questions about how all life begins, not only on Mars but on Earth as well. Today, many scientists believe that there is no real mystery about the origin of life. It is not the hand of God or chance that causes it to begin, but the presence of just the right conditions, such as water and various gases. If the right conditions exist, life springs into being by itself.
The logical conclusion of this theory is that any planet in the universe that has the right conditions, for example water, can support primitive forms of life. It is now thought that there is not only water in the subterranean lakes on Mars, but also on Jupiter's moons, Callisto and Europa. Although it seems unlikely that there are alien beings on Mars – descendants of a vanished civilization who want to take over the planet Earth – a new possibility has been raised, that the universe is teeming with life forms that we have never encountered and as yet, have no knowledge of. And that, perhaps, is an even more fascinating possibility.
T HE H OLLOW E ARTH
From the earliest times, theories about life under the Earth have abounded. In Ancient Greece, an underworld peopled by the dead was envisaged, which was known as Hades, while Christian mythology conceived of a fiery subterranean place where the damned were sent to endure eternal torture. We know it as Hell. Different versions of these beliefs feature in many ancient religions the world over. But in modern times, there have also been many eminent thinkers and scientists, as well as fiction writers, who have picked up the idea. They describe a "hollow" Earth, often peopled by a prehistoric race, that is reached by a network of subterranean tunnels. Today, few believe that the Earth really is hollow, or that human beings live at the centre of it, but the idea of a different world underground, where some forms of life exist, still excites the imagination. Recent developments in science have shown that such a notion is not merely the stuff of science fiction.
H ALLEY'S INNER SPHERES
In 1692, the renowned English astronomer, Edmund Halley, came up with the idea that the Earth was hollow. As the man responsible for plotting the path of the comet named after him, Halley's opinion was taken seriously. He was an eminent man of science, after all. According to his theory, the reason that the Earth's magnetic field sometimes showed inexplicable variations was because there were other magnetic fields around it, causing opposing gravitational pulls. Halley came up with a new model of the Earth, in which four inner spheres were stacked inside
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