Liquid water exists on Mars, boosting hopes for life there, NASA says

Potentially life-giving water still flows across the ancient surface of Mars from time to time, NASA scientists said Monday in revealing a potential breakthrough in both the search for life beyond Earth and human hopes to one day travel there.

While the discovery doesn't by itself offer evidence of life on Mars, either past or present, it does boost hopes that the harsh landscape still offers some refuge for microbes to cling to existence.

"The existence of liquid water, even if it is super salty briny water, gives the possibility that if there's life on Mars, that we have a way to describe how it might survive," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA.

NASA researchers using an imager aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter confirmed the watery flows by looking at light waves returned from seasonal dark streaks on the surface, long suspected to be associated with liquid water.

The investigation showed the streaks absorb light at specific wavelengths associated with chemicals known to pull water from the Martian atmosphere in a process known as deliquescence, said Georgia Tech doctoral student Lujendra Ojha, who first discovered the streaks while still an undergraduate student at the University of Arizona in 2011.

The chemicals allow the water to remain liquid at lower temperatures but also help keep it from boiling off in the thin atmosphere of Mars, the researchers said.

網址:http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/28/us/mars-nasa-announcement/index.html

WHO:NASA

WHAT:The liquid water in MARS

WHEN:2015/09/28

WHERE:MARS

WHY:To find there are another creature in Mars or not 

HOW: Use Curiousy to search the surface on MARS

1.harsh  苛刻

2.microbes  微生物

3.briny  海水

4.administrator  管理員

5.wavelength  波長

6.deliquescence  潮解

7.undergraduate  本科

Zimbabwe gives up process American lion that killed Cecil

Zimbabwe announced on Monday (12) gives up prosecute the dentist and American hunter who killed last July the emblematic lion Cecil. According to the authorities, "his papers were regular" and the tourist did not know he was committing an offense. 

"There is evidence that (the dentist Walter) Palmer was in Zimbabwe because all their documents were regular," said Environment Minister, Oppah Muchinguri, before the press in Harare, adding that the dentist will always be welcome to Zimbabwe, " but not to hunt. " 
In fact, he explained the minister, the owner of the land in which it was held hunting had no right to provide the lion hunting in this place, because there was assigned an elevation of hunting. 
Palmer, who followed his guide, ignored in place which was exactly when shot with his bow an arrow at Cecil. But the American dentist paid legal way US $ 55,000 (equivalent to R $ 207,000 in price on the last business day) for permission to hunting and safari. 
"How could sue you," said Muchinguri, adding: ". The problem now is internal (Zimbabwe) We will reassess our quota allocation policy (hunting)." 
In this way, who will now be in the crosshairs of justice is the safari organizer, the professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst. He is due to appear again on 15 October before a court, following the postponement of his case at the end of September. 
The death of Cecil, dominant male of the Hwange National Park and famous for its black mane, sparked protests worldwide by the animal advocates. The lion, 13, had a collar with GPS because it was accompanied by a program of scientific studies.


網址:http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1276267

WHO:Walter Palmer / lion Cecil
WHAT: the dentist and American hunter who killed last July the lion Cecil.
WHEN:July 30th, 2015
WHERE: Zimbabwe
WHY: No mention
HOW:paid legal way US $ 55,000 (equivalent to R $ 207,000 in price on the last business day) for permission to hunting and safari. 


1.prosecute  起訴
2.emblematic  象徵
3.elevation  海拔
4.equivalent 當量
5.safari   野生動物園
6.reassess  重新評估
7.quota  配額
8.allocation  分配
9.advocates  主張
10.collar  領