> The idea is to try to recreate Martian life through genetic engineering -- i.e.,
> trying to make a lifeform having all the supposed traits of the alleged Martian
> fossils found on that rock sample from Antarctica. This can be done either
> as a thought experiment, a computer model or a physical experiment.
I don't see the point, it wouldn't prove they are real fossils. We
could likely make an unicorn today (some creative surgery or even
genetic hybridization with a horned species) but it wouldn't prove
there are unicorns.
However, there is some rather hot debate about whether nanobacteria do
exist or not. So if we could produce nanobacteria the question about
their impossibility could at least be settled.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y