Have Scientists Finally Solved The Mystery Of Life On Mars?

The question of whether there is life on Mars or not has been perplexing scientists for many years now. However, there now seems to be substantial evidence that may have answered this age-long question once and for all.

There is one scientist who believes that he has finally unearthed the truth, with some fascinating details that could pave the way for future discoveries. A clue has also been discovered on Earth that could shed light on Mars’ mysteries.

In recent times, evidence that has opened up many new avenues about life and Mars has been found on Earth, of all places. In the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga, a new island was discovered that emerged from a submarine volcano that erupted. Scientists originally thought the island would be temporary, and eventually submerge again. NASA believes that it could end up staying above sea level, which could also hint at similar volcanic features on Mars.

That’s not the only development that has shed new light on potential life on Mars. Although the surface of the red planet is frozen, scientists now believe that the planet wasn’t always like that. In fact, there is sufficient evidence suggesting that Mars was once a planet full of flowing water. What exactly happened to this supposed water? Many scientists have conjured up theories over the years, but now, it seems like there might now be an undisputed truth…

Early theories surrounding life on Mars can be traced back midway through the 17th Century. One of the first serious theorists was William Herschel, who claimed that the planet’s ice caps grow and shrink depending on the season. With time, more similarities between Mars and Earth became apparent, such as the fact that a day on Mars was practically the same length of time as on Earth. However, a year is much longer on Mars due to the longer seasons.

By the mid-19th Century, theorists such as William Whewell believed that Mars had land, sea, and even life just like planet Earth. Despite the common belief that they were illusions, American astronomer Percival Lowell believed that the planet had canals, which were potentially built by an ancient civilization. As a result, writer H.G. Wells ended up writing 1897’s The War of the Worlds, about aliens who invade Earth after Mars becomes uninhabitable. This wouldn’t be the last time that Martians were portrayed in pop culture.

In the last four billion years, many rocks from Mars have reached Earth, with several of the 34 Martian meteorites believed to have carried proof of past life on Mars. In 1996, researchers found a meteorite in Antarctica that they believed had traces of Martian life. The ALH 84001 had fossils that resembled peculiar looking bacteria. Although the organic material was heavily speculated to be caused by life, it was eventually confirmed to be the result of a geological process.

Other cases of potential life from meteorites include the Nakhla meteorite, which was found in Egypt. This Martian rock contained nanobacteria that scientists eventually decided was a result of physical processes. The same thing happened when a third meteorite called the Shergotty contained remnants of biofilm. Although these cases have had scientists foaming at the mouths at the potential of discovering extraterrestrial life, closer insights in recent times have taken this age-long investigation to another level.

In 1964, the Mariner 4 was the first spacecraft to perform a successful flyby past Mars, with clear pictures of the planet’s surface. It was also the first time that humans had captured images of another planet in deep space. However, the images shellshocked the space science community, shattering illusions that Mars was home to a civilization of its own. What researchers found was a cratered, barren planet. This begs the question: why has no one landed on Mars yet?

It’s a question that many have asked for the good part of a century. After landing on the moon, it seems like the next logical giant step for mankind would be to step foot on the red planet. However, it’s just not that simple. The main reason that man has still not landed on Mars is that the conditions are just not suitable. Firstly, it has an unbreathable atmosphere, and secondly, it takes a year to get there and back.

NASA’s goal is to send humans to Mars by the 2030s. After sending many orbiters and landers and building up an expert knowledge of the red planet, NASA is currently hoping to overcome the three thresholds that will deem humanity fit to live there. These are Earth Reliant, the Proving Ground, and finally, Earth Independent. Each with their own steps and challenges, NASA ultimately believes that getting to Mars, landing there and living there are all possibilities.

One of the biggest questions surrounding life on Earth is whether or not it originated on the planet or if it came from elsewhere. Due to the fact that meteorites from Mars have hit earth in the past, it isn’t such a farfetched assumption that they could have transported life forms from one planet to another. The same could have happened vice versa. If there is water on Mars, maybe it came from Earth.

Dina Pasini, a researcher from the University of Kent, asked a thought-provoking question about the meteoric relationship between Earth, Mars, and potentially even other planets. “If we find life on another planet, will it be truly alien or will it be related to us? And if so, did it spawn us or did we spawn it?” she asked. “We cannot answer these questions just now, but the questions are not as farfetched as one might assume.”

Like many planets in our solar system, Mars is named after a Roman God, specifically, the god of war. However, it wasn’t just the Romans who attributed this planet to their god of war. In Babylonian times, the planet was named after the god of fire, war, and destruction, Nergal. This was probably because of the planet’s red look. Also, the Greeks referred to it as the “star of Ares,” who was their god of war.

As far as modern pop culture is concerned, Mars has been the inspiration for many works of art, both old and new. There have been countless sci-fi novels about Mars and Martians. Popular movies such as Mars Attacks! and Ridley Scott’s The Martian have touched upon fictional Martian invasions and human explorations of Mars, respectively. One of the Looney Toons is called Marvin the Martian, and of course, one of David Bowie’s most successful singles was titled “Life On Mars.”

It was only in 2015 when Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai was spotted, making it the first to emerge, survive and be caught by modern satellites. “We think there were eruptions on Mars at a time when there were areas of persistent surface water,” NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center chief scientist Jim Garvin said. “We may be able to use this new Tongan island and its evolution as a way of testing whether any of those represented an oceanic environment or ephemeral lake environment.”

Unlike other islands that have emerged from volcanic eruptions, it looks like Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai may remain above sea level. Although researchers don’t have a concrete explanation for this, they do have several theories as to what could happen to the island. One suggests that the island could be wiped out by wave abrasion in less than a decade. What might remain could be a land-bridge between the two islands it has emerged between. However, there is another possibility…

Although the general consensus is that the island will eventually erode, some believe it could take decades. Due to the lack of information about the mass of the island at the time of the eruption, it is difficult to calculate how long it could remain above sea-level. However, Jim Garvin firmly believes that these patterns are important to understanding the geology of Mars. “Everything we learn about what we see on Mars is based on the experience of interpreting Earth phenomena,” Garvin said.

These awesome discoveries have been a long time coming. Back in 1992, scientists discovered the first exoplanet. They didn’t believe that such a feat would be achieved again. Yet 25 years have passed since then, and amongst the thousands of star systems in the universe, scientists have discovered a staggering 3,500 exoplanets. It is believed that most of those planets have some sort of liquid flowing through them due to each of their surface temperatures being between zero and 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

If there is some form of liquid on a planet, the chance of life rises exponentially. This fact alone has sent scientists such as NASA’s NExSS co-leader Tony del Genio into an absolute frenzy. He believes that more breakthroughs are imminent. “I think that in 20 years we will have found one candidate that might be it,” he said. He does admit though that if extraterrestrial life is to be discovered, we need to be prepared for the unexpected.

These scientists are paying extra focus on planets that they believe potentially have water. One example is Europa, Jupiter’s moon. Like the Earth’s Antarctic and Arctic ice fields, it has been revealed that this astral body has water beneath an icy crust. “When we visit Europa, we want to go to very young places, where material from that ocean is being expressed on the surface,” NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist Morgan Cable said. Yet water isn’t the only sign…

Although a strong emphasis has been placed on water due to its synonymity with life forms, it isn’t the only clue that scientists are relying on in their investigations. Another method is to trace whether there are two or more molecules in the planet’s atmosphere. If it is considered peculiar for them to share the same atmosphere, then this may have huge implications. Through high-resolution images, scientists are using space telescopes in order to examine the composition of potential planets with life on them.

Naturally, not every scientist is convinced about the chances of extraterrestrial life. Although people like del Genio are particularly optimistic, many are skeptical about these ideas. One of those who questions NASA’s chances of alien discovery is NASA’s very own Ames Research Center scientist, Andrew Rushby. “It’s been 20 years away for the last 50 years,” he said. “I do think it’s on the scale of decades…If I were a betting man, which I’m not, I’d go for Europa or Enceladus.”

Like Jupiter’s Europa, Saturn’s frozen moon of Enceladus is another astral body that many scientists believe has more chance of having life than Mars. Some of the standout reasons for this include the friction that is caused by its orbit around Saturn. Also, there appears to be organic compounds on its surface and it has been proven that there is, in fact, a liquid water ocean beneath the ice. How exactly does this differ from the properties of Mars?

Unlike Enceladus, Mars appears to be completely frozen, making it uninhabitable. However, this doesn’t mean that the planet has always been this way. Scientists generally believe that water used to flow through the planet and that it was warmer than it is now. The main theory surrounding what happened to this water was that the planet’s magnetic field collapsed, causing the water to disappear into space from solar winds. It also could have been stored sub-surface…

It has recently been revealed that there is actually water that was absorbed by Mars’ surface and is locked in between the rocks. The discovery was documented in research published by scientists from Oxford’s Department of Earth Sciences and the Earth Observatory of Singapore. After much investigation, Dr. Jon Wade of Oxford worked out that basalt rocks on Mars are able to contain over 25% more water than Earth’s, raising the chances of life on this planet considerably.

Wade’s findings clear up the reason as to why Mars appears to be uninhabitable when on the contrary, it very much could be. “On Mars, water reacting with the freshly erupted lavas that form its basaltic crust resulted in a sponge-like effect. The planet’s water then reacted with the rocks to form a variety of water-bearing minerals,” he said. “This water-rock reaction changed the rock mineralogy and caused the planetary surface to dry and become inhospitable to life.”

Dr. Wade realized that Earth hasn’t experienced the changes that Mars has. He highlighted some of the reasons as to why this is the case. For example, Mars is much smaller than our planet. Also, the temperatures of the planets are completely different. “These are only subtle distinctions but they cause significant effects that, over time, add up,” Ward said. “They made the surface of Mars more prone to reaction with surface water and able to form minerals that contain water.”

Wade’s conclusions about the way water works in Mars sheds light on how the planet, as well as others, could actually be inhabitable. “Because of these factors the planet’s geological chemistry naturally drags water down into the mantle, whereas on early Earth hydrated rocks tended to float until they dehydrate,” he said. “To build on this work we want to test the effects of other sensitivities across the planets.” Even then, Wade’s publications don’t paint the complete picture of Mars’ habitability.

Dr. Wade understands that there is still a way to go before humanity has a full understanding of Mars’ potential. According to him, there are still big questions that need answering. “Questions like; what if the Earth had more or less iron in the mantle, how would that change the environment? What if the Earth was bigger or smaller?” he said. “These answers will help us to understand how much of a role rock chemistry determines a planet’s future fate.”

Humans aim to get sample returns from Mars. If researchers are able to study Martian crust, it could prove to be a much more fruitful exploration than simply looking at materials that have been on Earth for billions of years. “It’s time for the sample-analysis community to get serious about defining and prioritizing Mars sample science, and in helping to make the case for the future missions that would get those samples home,” co-leader of NASA’s Returned Sample Science Board David Beaty said.