Earth is expecting that life is possible on Mars for over a decade now. People believe life once existed on Mars too. There are many space tech firms that are actively working on sending humans to Mars.
Researchers have tested soil samples from mars which are 3.5 billion years old. They contain chemical compound thiophenes that could be organic. If it was organic it is likely that bacteria once lived on Mars.
Life Possible On Mars by Organic Compounds
The presence of these compounds on Martian soil state life was once present on Mars. Terrestrial thiophenes are the biggest sign of life by biologists. These compounds show that life once existed on planets other than Earth.
It is worth noting that the scientists who conducted the research are still confused. It is yet not clear that if the Martian thiophenes are organic or inorganic. Some even say thiophenes came to Martian soil by some Meteor strike. It suggests that thiophenes were non-organic. A report says,” Meteor impacts provide one possible thermonuclear explanation”
What the Mars Rover has Discovered
The Mars Rover isn’t an astrobiologist, so it cannot research the soil & chemicals. The team intends to conduct more research and get some solid information. They want the data to be very specific.
The presence of thiophenes is exciting but the origin of the compound matters even more. Research is only possible when humans visit Mars. So, it might take some time before we confirm the existence of life on Mars.
Let’s say for the time being that the compound was inorganic. Shocked, but there is something more shocking! 3 Million years ago at least 4 hominoids were walking on Earth, what happened to them?
What can we Expect Next on Possibility of Life On Mars?
Mars is our neighboring planet and a lot of entrepreneurs on Earth are trying to go there. Companies like SpaceX led by Elon Musk are trying very hard to build a spaceship & land humans on Mars.
Scientists believe that unless humans land on Mars and do deep research it would be difficult to understand Mars. To date only a few Rovers like Maven, MoM have successfully been able to go to Mars.
Conclusion
The researchers aren’t declaring the search for alien life complete just yet. Confirming the presence of life without any further research will be foolish.
We Expect governments to be actively participating in an expedition to Mars. Though this will not be an easy task initially, with time it is expected that they will take active participation.
Even if we discover that life once walked on the Martian surface, we would still be left with bigger questions. Questions, like What, happened to Life and where is it now? will always keep the researchers thinking.
