Possibility Strange life on Mars It is a topic that has obsessed astronomers for decades.
Despite the scientific community’s best efforts, no evidence of past or present life has been found on Mars.
However, this does not necessarily mean that it does not exist, many experts have concluded.
There may be several ways in which evidence of alien life on Mars could escape us.
Life can be hiding beneath the surface
One recent study suggested that we need to look deeper beneath the surface of Mars to find traces of life.
That’s because any evidence of amino acids left from a time when Mars was habitable is likely buried at least 6.6 feet underground.
Scientists are searching for amino acids due to their role in forming life as we know it, according to Scripps Research Institute.
Amino acids, which can be created by life and non-biological chemistry, are an essential component of building proteins essential to life.
Because Mars lacks a magnetic field, its surface is exposed to a lot of cosmic radiation that destroys amino acids.
“Our results indicate that amino acids are damaged by cosmic rays in Martian surface rocks and regolith at much faster rates than previously thought,” said Alexander Pavlov of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
“Current roaming missions on Mars are down to two inches (about five centimeters). At those depths, it would only take 20 million years to completely destroy the amino acids.”
In light of this new research, a new strategy is needed when drilling shallow surfaces with compounds such as Perservenace or Curiosity.
Life may exist in ways we don’t know yet
NASA scientist Dr. Mugiga Cooper discussed with google chats In April about life on Mars.
When asked if she thinks Mars has or once had life, Cooper’s answer is positive.
She said, “Was water on Mars? Yes. Does Mars have some interesting chemistry that could potentially harbor or sustain life? Yes.”
For these reasons alone, Cooper points out, we cannot rule out the presence of life on the Red Planet.
Nor has NASA completely ruled out the existence of life on Mars or other planets.
It may just be a life we don’t understand yet.
Cooper notes that microbes on Earth can exist in very harsh environments and the same can be said for Mars.
If we find life, Cooper’s next mission will be to make sure Earth is safe when he returns a sample of it here.
She explained to Talks at Google: “One day, we hope to bring the samples back to our planet and you have to take the same consideration.
“When you bring something back, you don’t want to bring something that could be harmful to humans.
This story originally appeared on the sun Reproduced here with permission
