Marsbugs: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter
Volume 12, Number 34, 24 October 2005

Editor/Publisher: David J. Thomas, Ph.D., Science Division, Lyon College, Batesville, Arkansas 72503-2317, USA.  dthomas@lyon.edu

Marsbugs is published on a weekly to monthly basis as warranted by 
the number of articles and announcements.  Copyright of this 
compilation exists with the editor, but individual authors retain the 
copyright of specific articles.  Opinions expressed in this 
newsletter are those of the authors, and are not necessarily endorsed 
by the editor or by Lyon College.  E-mail subscriptions are free, and 
may be obtained by contacting the editor.  Information concerning the 
scope of this newsletter, subscription formats and availability of 
back-issues is available at http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs.  
The editor does not condone "spamming" of subscribers.  Readers would 
appreciate it if others would not send unsolicited e-mail using the 
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interest to subscribers of Marsbugs should send that information to 
the editor.
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MARSBUGS CHANGES FORMAT
By David J. Thomas
24 October 2005

In the near future, I will be merging Marsbugs with its companion 
site, The Astrobiology Index.  Marsbugs has been a voluntary effort 
throughout its almost 12 year existence.  During that time, several 
professionally-written and maintained news sites opened, provided me 
with additional material, but also with "competition."  While I've 
never thought that Marsbugs was actually competing for readers with 
any other site, I have become increasingly aware that Marsbugs is 
becoming less timely and more redundant.  I simply can't keep up with 
the increasing amount of astrobiology-related information while also 
working at my "real" job as a biology professor.

During the next several weeks, I will be restructuring and merging 
Marsbugs: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter and The Astrobiology 
Index to become a new site--Marsbugs: The Astrobiology Index.  The 
new site will include many of the same news items, mission updates 
and program announcements, but I won't publish discreet issues 
anymore.  

I appreciate all of my loyal readers over the years.  There have been 
many times when I might have ended Marsbugs even earlier if not for 
your encouragement.  I hope that you find the new Marsbugs as useful 
as the old one.
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End Marsbugs, Volume 12, Number 34.