The seek for life on Mars has been an ongoing scientific endeavour, however one latest speculation by an astrobiologist means that NASA could have inadvertently destroyed microbial life on the Pink Planet again within the ‘70s.
What did NASA do to Mars?
NASA’s Viking 1 and Viking 2 missions, which landed on Mars in 1976, have been the primary to conduct experiments straight on Martian soil to seek for biosignatures – molecules that would point out life. Amongst these exams, one concerned heating soil samples to detect natural compounds, whereas others infused the soil with water and vitamins to look at metabolic exercise.
On the time, the outcomes appeared inconclusive. One experiment detected chlorinated organics, initially dismissed as contamination from Earth. Nevertheless, trendy analysis has revealed these compounds are native to Mars.
Schulze-Makuch from the Technical College of Berlin argues that some experiments could have unintentionally destroyed potential microbial life tailored to Mars’s extraordinarily dry situations.
Schulze-Makuch’s idea centres on the concept that life on Mars, if it exists, could depend on salts to attract moisture from the environment – a course of noticed in Earth’s driest environments, like Chile’s Atacama Desert. In these situations, life types usually keep away from liquid water altogether, as a sudden inflow can overwhelm and kill them.
“Hyperhydration may basically drown Martian microbes,” Schulze-Makuch defined in a commentary revealed in Nature Astronomy.
NASA’s seek for extraterrestrial life
For many years, NASA has pursued a “observe the water” technique in its seek for extraterrestrial life, based mostly on the belief that water is universally important for biology.
Almost 50 years after the Viking missions, scientists are calling for a brand new era of experiments designed particularly for Mars’ distinctive surroundings. Schulze-Makuch believes these missions ought to prioritise looking for dry-adapted life types and keep away from water-heavy testing strategies.
Whether or not we discover life on Mars stays to be seen, however one factor is evident: the Pink Planet’s secrets and techniques are removed from uncovered.
View all quirky information.