A new study has shown that Mars was once so rich in essential substances and minerals in the seas and lakes then existing that the Red Planet could be considered just an ideal springboard for the reproduction of living organisms.
Many scientists have long claimed that Mars was once inhabited – new research only adds fuel to the fire. Researchers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology are convinced that the conditions of life on Mars were very similar to those of the early Earth and they are very surprised by the fact that evidence of the existence of living things there has not yet been found.
Analyzing the data obtained with the Curiosity rover, a team of scientists from Japan concluded that the salinity and pH levels, and, accordingly, the level of salt and acidity, were extremely similar to those that were on the Earth when it began life was born 3.5 billion years ago.
Scientists argue that this greatly increases the likelihood that some form of life once existed on the Red Planet. At least, all scientific observations speak about it. Here's what they reported in their article:
'Scientists are increasingly convinced that Mars has been habitable for billions of years. Whether the planet was actually inhabited or is it still inhabited remains a hotly debated topic. To answer these questions, we are trying to understand the kinds of water chemistry that could generate the minerals seen on Mars today that were obtained billions of years ago. '
'In particular, the properties of pore water in sediments apparently deposited in lakes in Gale Crater on Mars suggest that these sediments were formed in the presence of liquid water, the pH of which was close to that of modern Earth's oceans.'
'Earth's oceans are, of course, vessels for many forms of life, so it seems compelling to claim that the early surface of Mars was a place where life could exist as we see on Earth today. It remains a mystery to us that evidence of the existence of life on Mars now or in the past has not yet been found. '
NASA plans to send a new rover to Mars this year as part of the Mars 2020 mission, which should increase the likelihood of finding such evidence. Another goal of the mission is to prepare for the arrival of humanity on the Red Planet.
