Scientists hope that a remote lake on a dormant Chilean volcano can provide clues to what life may have been like in a far more distant place -- the planet Mars. A 10-member team placed special plates in the lake on Licancabur volcano, at an altitude of 20,000 feet，on Sunday to measure the effects of ultraviolet light on organisms living there. The scientists, mostly from the United States, think learning how Licancabur organisms protect themselves may help researchers understand how life survived on early Earth and perhaps on early Mars as well. The damaging effects of UV radiation intensify at altitude and the air is very thin. And the lake is covered with ice most of the year, as would have been bodies of water on Mars. "If there was life on Mars 3.5 billion years ago, it could have used defense mechanisms similar to those used by the organisms at Licancabur volcano to survive," said team leader Nathalie Cabrol. The group, which includes science researchers from NASA and the SETI Institute, planned to spend two days at the lake, but weather conditions forced them to give up some of their research, which included a planned dive into the frigid lake. The mission also included geological experiments in the area around the volcano and testing a two-wheeled vehicle called "MARVIN," which may be used in future Mars missions. One of the group members said the experiments, were "very promising" but sediment and water samples would have to be analyzed in a laboratory before conclusions could be drawn. Another expedition will recover the UV plates next year. (Agencies) | 在智利火山的頂端，有一個靜謐的湖泊。近來，科學家發現了它的新價值--也許，它能告訴人們在更遙遠的火星，早期的生命是如何存在的。 11月10日，一個由10名科學家組成的小組在海拔2萬英尺的利坎卡武爾火山頂端湖泊中放入了特殊的測量儀板，來測試紫外線照射當地的有機生物所產生的效果。 以美國科學家為主的許多科學家都認為，研究利坎卡武爾火山的有機生物如何自我保護能夠啟發人們認識在早期的地球，生物是如何生存下來的，甚至也可以由此類推到早期的火星生命形態上去。  在利坎卡武爾火山頂，紫外線輻射相當密集，殺傷力很強。空氣也因為海拔高而非常稀薄，湖面上常年結著厚厚的冰層，與火星上的水域環境非常相似。
研究小組的負責人納塔莉·卡布羅爾說:"如果35億年前火星上有生物的話，情況應該與利坎卡武爾火山頂生物生存下來所運用的防御機制大致相同。" 這個研究小組的成員主要來自美國國家宇航局（National Aeronautics and Space Administration）和美國尋找地外智能生命研究所(Search for Exterritorial Intelligence Institute, 簡稱SETI)。他們原計劃在湖邊度過兩天，但迫于天氣原因不得不放棄了部分研究項目，其中一項計劃還要潛入到刺骨的湖水中完成。 原計劃還包括在該火山地區進行地址勘測，以及測試一種名叫"MARVIN"的兩輪運輸車，這種車是為日后在火星進行勘測時使用而設計的。 一位研究組成員認為這次實驗"非常有前景"，但沉淀物和水樣必須在實驗室中經過化驗才能得出實驗的最后結論。明年，另一支研究隊將被派往該地，收回紫外線測量儀板。 （中國日報網站譯） |
Updated: 2002-11-13 01:00
