You're dropping some intriguing hints, DH. Got any websites you can direct me to?

Wolfgang - Of course, what you say is completely reasonable. I'm not really making an argument for or against the matter of life on Mars, because I'm not in a position to gather the necessary evidence. It's just a subject I'm curious about, and I thought if I started a thread that something interesting might come up.

I am in no position whatsoever to provide conclusive evidence about anything on Mars, and I know it.

I just react strongly against kneejerk reactions of the conventional mind, which tends to ridicule anything new which it considers unusual without giving it any consideration at all. That is prejudgement, based on an existing prejudice or inclination, not on evidence or lack thereof.

When I see such unthinking ridicule of any unusual idea, I tend to respond with a certain measure of ridicule in return...

Open minds are more likely to make new discoveries than closed ones, but the conventional mind is seldom very open, I find. It delights in maintaining and defending the past.

- LH