Vai Marsam ir dzīve?

A: Scientists have been reporting signs of life on Mars since the last century. In 1976, an experiment on the Viking mission reported signs of metabolism, but no organic molecules were detected in another detector. In 1996, the meteorite ALH 84001 was shown to have microfossil-like shapes, but laboratory studies later reproduced similar features using non-biological processes. In the 2000s, several teams reported methane in the Martian atmosphere, but later measurements were unable to confirm these levels. In the 1960s, the Mariner program briefly suggested the presence of methane near the poles. Reports in 2005 described life sheltered in Martian caves and supporting liquid water. However, NASA later issued a correction, saying that there was no evidence of observation.

On September 10, scientists reported that data from the Perseverance rover indicated the presence of mudstones in Mars’ Jezero crater that contain carbon, black phosphate, and sulfide minerals. On Earth, the reactions that create these minerals can occur without life or when certain microbes metabolize iron or sulfur. The study said that organic materials and these minerals are often found together, raising questions about their origins. The authors concluded that only detailed laboratory studies of samples brought back from Mars to Earth could settle the questions.