Life (or Death) on Mars

I thought about writing this up yesterday, but it was clear that all the facts weren't in. They still aren't, but at least we have an official comment from NASA. The Internet was set in a twitter by the rumor that the Phoenix Mars lander had discovered the toxic chemical perchlorate in the Martian soil. If this were the case, so went yesterday's writeups, then the possibility of life being sustainable anywhere near the surface would be slim to none. However, perchlorate was only found during one test and not found during any others. Also, it's a component of rocket fuel, so it's possible that even if it's there, it could be a result of contamination by the lander itself. Plus, its presence doesn't rule out the possibility of life anyway, since perchlorate, in addition to being toxic, is a potential energy source. NASA is still working on the problem, I'm assuming, while wearing their sweat-stained shirtsleeves rolled to mid-forearm, chain smoking, and rubbing their crew cuts in frustration. Everything I know about NASA I learned from watching silent Apollo footage from mission control. More details here.