SCIENCE
For millennia, humankind has asked whether life exists elsewhere in the universe. Today, Mars is the best Place to explore this question… and Remarkably, the answer just might be “yes!”.
For millennia, humankind has asked whether life exists elsewhere in the universe. Today, Mars is the best Place to explore this question… and Remarkably, the answer just might be “yes!”.
Life might have started on Mars
Scientists behind ALFA Mars have identified rocks, minerals, and processes that likely made RNA in early Earth environments. RNA is thought to be the first molecule needed to support life. The same rocks and minerals were on Mars, and might have supported the same processes originating life there.
Life likely persists wherever it has gained a toehold
Whether life originated on Mars or was introduced via meteoric exchange, as Jeff Goldblum said in Jurassic Park, “life … um … finds a way”. Evidence suggests that Mars has evolved dramatically over its history; much like the Earth. In remarkable fashion, life on Earth has found a way to adapt to drastically changing planetary environments. We think that Martian life also “found a way.”
Life is possibly being constantly transported between Earth and Mars
It is possible that life originated on only one of these planets and was transported to the other by impact ejecta. The frequent natural exchange of material between planets suggests that the planetary environments are more connected than one may assume. It has been found that microorganisms can survive impact events that are energetic enough to eject material off-world, as well as the entry to a new world.
Human Presence on Mars May Hinder Martian Life Discovery
SpaceX, NASA, and the Chinese National Space Agency plan to send humans to Mars as early as the 2030s. Once humans are present on Mars, the task of finding indigenous life becomes more difficult. While searching for present life forms, scientists will have to distinguish tenuous indigenous biosignatures from rising levels of Earth-delivered biosignatures. The survivability of hardy microorganisms, and the oligotrophic nature of tentative Martians, suggests that an attempt to detect indigenous life would be like searching for a needle in a hay stack.
We may have already found signatures of Martian Microbes
In 1976, NASA landed two Viking probes on Mars, designed to find signs of life there. The Viking Biology team had 3 instruments running in parallel on 2 landers on different sides of the planet. These experiments provided multiple results that were consistent with the presence of Martian microbes. The Labeled Release experiment was exceptionally intriguing. However, the interpretation of results from the Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) deemed there to be no organic matter present on Mars. No organics present suggested that no life was present, and the biology results were explained away.
We know where to look for life on Mars
Subsurface ice (in layers with Martian soil) can be readily found in the mid-latitudes. These layers, because of global dust storms and aeolian processes, contain material from the entire Martian surface. If this ice were on Earth, it would hold a biosphere.
Additionally, on Earth, the subsurface is the largest environment (by biomass) for microbes. They survive on minimal energy sources, often deriving sustenance from chemical reactions rather than sunlight. On Mars, the subsurface is protected from harsh environmental conditions. Thus, the layers of ice within the subsurface are the best place to look for Martian microbes.
We know when to look for life on Mars
The mid-latitude ice must be mined as a resource before the first humans arrive on Mars. It will be melted and used to manufacture propellant to return those humans to Earth. An Agnostic Life Finder that recovers polyelectrolytes from the Martian water is a low-cost add-on to the large-scale mining operation.
We know how to look for life on Mars
Scientists behind ALFA Mars are internationally recognized for making (in the laboratory) alternative forms of DNA. This work discovered molecular structures that give us targets for seeking alien DNA, agnostically, without needing to know any of the details of how that life later evolved. One of these structures is a repeating charge, a “polyelectrolyte”. With the Agnostic Life Finder, polyelectrolytes are easily isolated from Martian water for analysis.
Currently no one else plans to find Martian life before human arrival to Mars
Recently, credible statements suggest landing humans on Mars in 2-3 launch cycles. However, after the Viking missions of the 1970s, NASA stopped looking for extant life on Mars. Still, NASA currently does not plan to look for life in situ on Mars in the next decade.
Therefore, if Martian life is to be found before humans arrive on Mars, it must be done by a private mission. And that means you.