Earth to Scientists. Come in Please. Over.
“MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Scientists are using the pine-forested slopes of a Mexican volcano as a test bed to see if trees could grow on a heated-up Mars, part of a vision of making the chilly and barren red planet habitable for humans one day. "Planetary scientists at NASA and Mexican universities believe if they can warm Mars using heat-trapping gases, raise the air pressure and start photosynthesis, they could create an atmosphere that would support oxygen-breathing life forms.” So we screw up this planet, and instead of spending the time and energy (as well as the money) to deal with the mess we’ ve made, scientists are chasing a theory that might not bear fruit until 50 years from now, if at all. I’m all for science; it’s a wonderful, beautiful thing. I’m all for the brilliant people who were and are brave enough to persevere when others call them charlatans and kooks, or worse yet, heretics (shout-out to Nicolaus Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, and Galileo Galilei and the t...