If you’re hoping that there is life on Mars, don’t give up yet. Researchers say that there very well could be life forms on the red planet that our instruments simply cannot detect.
Probes currently being used to hunt for alien beings might not be sensitive enough to spot those organisms, according to a new paper. “Alien beings” might simply be one-cell organisms.
Researchers reached that conclusion after testing material that was taken from the Chilean desert, where conditions are somewhat similar to the area on Mars being studied by the Perseverance rover. Scientists know that area contained ancient life – but it would not be found using the instruments that rover is carrying.
Since the Viking missions in the 1970s, many probes have been sent to the red planet to search for microbial life.
So far, state-of-the-art instruments on board NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers have only identified low levels of simple organic molecules.
Scientists said these results raise questions about the limitations of current scientific equipment.
An international research team led by Dr Armando Azua-Bustos of the Astrobiology Centre in Spain tested versions of the instruments that are currently on Mars or due to be sent there in the near future.
These instruments were tested in Red Stone, which is located in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile.
The possibility of life on Mars is a subject of interest in astrobiology because of the planet’s proximity and similarities to Earth. But despite speculation such as this, to date, no proof of past or present life has been found on Mars. Cumulative evidence suggests that during the ancient Noachian time period, the surface environment of Mars did have liquid water and may have been habitable for microorganisms, but habitable conditions do not necessarily indicate life. It would take a lot more than that for humans to ever be able to colonize our nearest neighbor.
But we can continue to hope for good news–especially since, as the population on Earth recently hit the 8 billion mark, the planet seems to be getting ever more crowded.
