Christopher P. McKay, Richard C. Quinn, Carol R. Stoker
{"title":"The Viking biology experiments on Mars revisited","authors":"Christopher P. McKay, Richard C. Quinn, Carol R. Stoker","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116466","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The discovery of perchlorate on Mars by the Phoenix mission has provided a basis for explaining the results of the Viking Landers. Thermal decomposition of perchlorate in the ovens of the instrument can explain the lack of organics detected. Accumulation of hypochlorite in the soil from cosmic ray decomposition of perchlorate can explain the reactivity seen when nutrient solutions were added to the soil in the Viking Biology Experiments. A non-biological explanation for the Viking results does not preclude life on Mars.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"431 ","pages":"Article 116466"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Icarus","FirstCategoryId":"101","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103525000132","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/1/30 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
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Abstract
The discovery of perchlorate on Mars by the Phoenix mission has provided a basis for explaining the results of the Viking Landers. Thermal decomposition of perchlorate in the ovens of the instrument can explain the lack of organics detected. Accumulation of hypochlorite in the soil from cosmic ray decomposition of perchlorate can explain the reactivity seen when nutrient solutions were added to the soil in the Viking Biology Experiments. A non-biological explanation for the Viking results does not preclude life on Mars.
期刊介绍：
Icarus is devoted to the publication of original contributions in the field of Solar System studies. Manuscripts reporting the results of new research - observational, experimental, or theoretical - concerning the astronomy, geology, meteorology, physics, chemistry, biology, and other scientific aspects of our Solar System or extrasolar systems are welcome. The journal generally does not publish papers devoted exclusively to the Sun, the Earth, celestial mechanics, meteoritics, or astrophysics. Icarus does not publish papers that provide "improved" versions of Bode''s law, or other numerical relations, without a sound physical basis. Icarus does not publish meeting announcements or general notices. Reviews, historical papers, and manuscripts describing spacecraft instrumentation may be considered, but only with prior approval of the editor. An entire issue of the journal is occasionally devoted to a single subject, usually arising from a conference on the same topic. The language of publication is English. American or British usage is accepted, but not a mixture of these.
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