Moon 'too dry to have life', say scientists

News from the BBC

Contrary to recent reports about water content in lunar rocks, the Moon may be quite dry, say scientists.

A study by US researchers, published in Science, analysed chlorine isotopes of the much-studied samples, brought to Earth by the Apollo space missions.

They added that there was no or very little hydrogen in the magma ocean during the Moon's formation.

And that would mean the Earth's natural satellite may have always been too dry to host life.

Zachary Sharp from the University of New Mexico led the study.

www.bbc.co.uk...



This made me laugh!! Why?

1) Scientists studying rocks that are at least 38 years old and in their non - native environment

2) Scientists scratching the surface (literally) again!

3) Chlorine isotope analysis:

Chlorine-35 has two fewer neutrons in its nucleus than chlorine-37, and hence is lighter and was more prone to vaporizing out from the magma ocean. But if the magma also contained a lot of hydrogen — perhaps in the form of water, H2O — a competing process would also take place. Chlorine-37 likes to bond with hydrogen and vaporize out as hydrogen chloride. So if hydrogen were present, more chlorine-37 would escape the magma along with chlorine-35.

www.labgrab.com...

So now scientists are assuming that any chlorine - 35 left in the moon rocks must be there because it did not vaporise out with water!!! A very big assumption to make!!





[edit on 6-8-2010 by chemistry]

reply to post by chemistry


Too dry for indigenous life perhaps...

This is why people are becoming increasingly distrustful of what passes for science these days.

First...no water...contamination from the ingress of Earths atmosphere into the return sample containers...(half a dozen times?!!),

Then yes, there's water but very little amounts.

Then lots of water, not anywhere near on a par with what we consider lots on Earth, but definitely a whole lot more than we estimated.

Now...not much at all again.

Sheesh.