For several years, scientists have been working hard to uncover a question that humans have asked for a long time: “Is there life on Mars?” Several instruments have been sent to the planet to try to get an answer to the big question.
However, several international researchers recently revealed that identifying organic material in the Martian rocks on Mars can be difficult, and perhaps impossible. That is the conclusion of a study from Cornell University in New York, which has been published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications.
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The reason is that the instruments to detect whether there is life on the planet may be too weak. With that, microscopic organisms can be avoided from being detected by the equipment.
The researchers had then tested material from Chile’s deserts, which are somewhat similar to the conditions on Mars. The desert contains a lot of hematite, which gives Mars its famous red color. It is an iron mineral and has previously been found on the planet.
Hematite can only form in contact with water, and the discovery on Mars was a strong indication that there has been water on the planet, writes Large Norwegian encyclopedia.
Mars rover hit by “dust devil”
When the scientists studied the deserts of Chile, they were unable to find signs of very ancient organisms in the desert, despite the fact that they know that ancient organisms have existed there, write British Independent.
– The chance of getting false negatives in the search for life on Mars shows the need for more powerful tools, says Armando Azua-Bustos, who is the lead author behind the study.
– Underlines the importance
So far, scientists investigating possible life on Mars have only been able to identify low levels of small organic molecules.
However, there are possibilities to conclude whether life has ever existed on Mars. Either the scientists have to get better equipment that can be sent to Mars, or they have to be able to bring Martian rocks to Earth.
– The results emphasize the importance of returning samples to Earth to determine whether life has ever existed on Mars, the study concludes.
