The Next Big Idea 10 concepts that could - University of Toronto ...
The Next Big Idea 10 concepts that could - University of Toronto ...
The Next Big Idea 10 concepts that could - University of Toronto ...
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“In hockey, banning all hits to the head would help” – Dr. Charles Tator, on preventing concussions in sport, p. 23<br />
Leading<br />
Edge<br />
photo: NASA/courtesy <strong>of</strong> nasaimages.org<br />
Life on Mars<br />
Scientists are trying to determine if methane in the<br />
Martian atmosphere came from living organisms<br />
Ever since astronomer Percival Lowell observed what<br />
he thought were canals on the surface <strong>of</strong> Mars more<br />
than a century ago, the possibility <strong>that</strong> the red planet<br />
harbours life – or did so in the remote past – has fascinated<br />
humankind. We now know <strong>that</strong> Lowell’s canals were an optical<br />
illusion, and <strong>that</strong> Mars is cold and dry. But scientists haven’t<br />
ruled out the possibility <strong>that</strong> microbial life might possibly lurk<br />
below the surface, and recent developments have prompted<br />
them to take a closer look.<br />
<strong>The</strong> latest clue involves methane, a gas <strong>that</strong> may indicate<br />
the presence <strong>of</strong> living organisms. Astronomers have found<br />
<strong>that</strong> there’s significantly more <strong>of</strong> the gas on Mars than previously<br />
thought, and they want to know what’s producing it. Now<br />
a team <strong>of</strong> scientists – including several researchers from >>><br />
winter 2011 19
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