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BIOSPHERICS CEO SAYS NASA ANNOUNCEMENT CONFIRMS HIS CONCLUSION
OF Media Contact: Mark Hopkinson 561/ 750-9800 x14 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: On August 1, Levin will present a paper, co-authored by Dr. Larry Kutznetz, Department of Planetary Sciences, UC Berkeley, and Dr. Arthur Lafleur, Center for Environmental Health Sciences, MIT, with new and compelling details on water and life on Mars. A simple experiment to confirm the existence of life on Mars will be recommended for the next Mars mission. The experiment will use Levin's earlier technology modified to seek a unique characteristic of all known forms of life, the preference for specific configurations of certain organic molecules. The invited paper will be given at the annual meeting of the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) in San Diego. Meanwhile, NASA is showing renewed interest in the Mars data produced by Levin and his Viking co-experimenter, Dr. Patricia Straat. Scientists from the space agency have been meeting with him to reconstruct the original data into digital form. This is at the request of Dr. Joseph Miller, Department of Pharmacology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, who believes the signals from Mars may contain hidden evidence supporting Levin's claim for life. After 20 years of probing his 1976 Viking results, Levin published an article in 1997 claiming his experiment had discovered microbial life in the Martian soil. Challenged by scientists asserting there could be no liquid water on Mars to support life, Levin enlisted the aid of his son, Ron, a Ph.D. physicist at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. In 1998, they published a paper with a model that demonstrated that Mars could provide moisture in amounts sufficient to support terrestrial soil microorganisms. The paper also cited Viking data as evidence that the lander had encountered liquid water. In addition to its work for NASA, Biospherics Incorporated is the biotechnology company that invented the use of tagatose as a full-bulk, low-calorie sweetener. The Company is anticipating US and foreign safety approvals for this natural sugar found in many dairy products and in certain berries. Another innovation from Biospherics' biotech laboratory is FlyCrackerTM , a safe-for-humans and environmentally friendly pesticide that kills fly larvae. Since its April debut on the market, it has been well received at events such as the Clark County Fair and Rodeo, and the National Finals Rodeo sponsored by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Sales have begun through national distribution. Certain statements contained herein are "forward looking" statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Because such statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ from those expressed or implied. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied include, but are not limited to, those discussed in filings by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the filing on Form 8-K made on March 3, 1999. Under its motto, "Technologies for Information and Health," Biospherics' mission is to provide guidance and products to improve the quality of life. Biospherics offers biotechnology innovations, information technology solutions, and information center services.{main} |
