It has long been speculated that life exists on Mars or atleast existed aeons ago, because of its similarity to Earth in many respects.
· It is also at a fair distance from the sun like the earth, which makes it neither too cold nor too hot.
· The length of a day on Mars is almost the same as that on Earth.
· Its axial tilt is quite similar to ours, which makes it experience seasons just like the Earth.
Earlier, Mars was believed to contain seas, land and complex lifeforms. Some people even went to the extent of claiming to have observed Martian Canals. People’s belief in the possibility of life on Mars became stronger with the release of books like H.G.Wells’ ‘War of the Worlds’ and movies like ‘Mars Attack’, both of which showed the Martians as hostile creatures, trying to invade our planet. Much to the dismay of the alien enthusiasts, space probes like Mariner 4, and the two Mars Exploration Rovers – Spirit and Opportunity, have proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that no life exists on Mars and that it is an arid, uninhabitable place.
The only encouraging evidence for life on Mars came with the discovery of a Martian meteorite – ALH84001 which showed signs of primitive bacterial life that would have existed millions of years ago. The meteorite was found to contain hydrocarbons and mineral phases which are related to microbial activity. Also, tiny carbonate globules were found on the meteorite, which could be the microfossils of primitive bacteria.
Whatever it is, one thing is for certain…at present, life doesn’t exist on Mars and even if it had aeons ago, it was not even close to getting evolved into a complex life form… .
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