Is There Life on Mars?

Are we alone? The question has always stood upon the face of humanity. Until recently, we have never been able to answer the question; however, recent scientific discoveries have made the answer to this question less inconclusive. 

Over four billion years ago, when the solar system was in its early stages of forming, Earth and Mars did not look too different from each other. Currently, both planets have a core, a rocky mantle, and a solid crust. Furthermore, we know that Mars used to have bodies of water, such as lakes, and that it now has ice caps at both poles, just as Earth does. Needless to say, it is not extremely presumptuous to say that Mars could have sustained life; however, only until now do we have evidence to support that claim. 

NASA sends rovers to Mars very often to notice weather patterns, analyze geological conditions, and prepare for humans to eventually set foot on the Red Planet. One of NASA’s rovers, Perseverance Mars, took a sample of rock at a dried-out riverbed, which is speculated to potentially contain biosignatures. Biosignatures are similar to the fossils we are familiar with on Earth, small fragments of ancient life left behind to study. 

This is huge news. We as a society may be able to first-handly witness the marks of extremely life-altering scientific discoveries (no pun intended). 

However, to be clear, nothing is determined. Even if we do have solid evidence of ancient life, it does not mean that humans or any other multicellular organisms were roaming around the planet billions of years ago. If there were proven evidence of ancient life, it is likely that this life is simply single-celled organisms.

While all of this information is extremely important and exciting, it is important to realize that there could also be other abiotic (meaning that it occurred naturally, not due to a living organism) factors that caused the rock sample to seem as though it contains a biosignature. If this particular sample of rock contained acidic conditions, sustained high temperatures, or binding organic compounds, the biosignature is likely due to an abiotic factor.

However, the place in which this sample was found is not known to contain such conditions. While the chances of the biosignature found are less likely to be caused by abiotic factors, they are not to be ruled out.

It is also worth noting that while this is a monumental discovery in the world of astrobiology, this does not mean that there is life on Mars now. This discovery merely means that there could have been life on Mars… billions of years ago. However, regardless of whether Mars may or may not have sustained life, or for how long it did, we are closer than ever to one of the most unanswered questions in history: are we alone?