We haven’t found the evil master plans of little green men of Mars plotting to invade the Earth. Or the canal layout designed by Martian engineers! But that doesn’t necessarily mean that Mars has no life. Because today when we search the Red Planet for signs of life, we are looking for something more basic – like chemicals that point to the presence of microorganisms!
Biosignatures, or substances that indicate the presence of (past or present) life, can be found either on the Martian surface, or underground, in its soil and rock, or in its atmosphere as gases. So do we screen the entire planet for life? No! Instead, scientists have found a shortcut – they look in places that may have been (or still are) habitable, starting with areas that show evidence of liquid water.
Gale, a crater on Mars that may have contained a lake billions of years ago, is one such location. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Curiosity rover has detected proof of ancient water and organic chemicals in the crater. The level of methane, a gas that can be associated with the presence of microorganisms, was also found to vary with the seasons in the Martian atmosphere. Though they are not a guarantee of finding life – because organic materials can be produced through non-biological processes also – they still are promising signs of a microbe-friendly habitat!
Picture Credit : Google
