When looking for life on Mars we should be thinking of how life forms on Earth. Not because it will be similar, although it possibly could be, but because we know the things, which inhibit life and the things which help it flourish. This is not to say that life does not exist inside the rocks or under the surface in underground aquifers or that the rocks themselves are not alive, but in all probability we will find the life or remnants of previous life in those places where we find life on Earth which are similar to those places on Mars. That makes sense right? Well, we just found life beneath the ice shelf accidentally on Earth when a large piece of ice broke away. It was living in its own ecosystem, cut off from the rest of the world quite content and flourishing in near freezing water of the Antarctic. What was living in such hostile conditions? Oh, vast communities of clams and bacteria; an area, which has been cut off from other eco-systems for at least 10,000 years or more. Sounds incredible? Yes, should we be surprised? Absolutely not, likewise do not be surprised when we find life on Mars under the ice either, in fact you should expect it. Bacteria is life and one of the oldest and simplest life forms, but Mars may surprise us with remnants or even currently living life with more complex forms of life. Finding life at a depth of 2,800 feet under a layer of 600 feet of ice in such cold environments just proves that life will find a way as the great professor in movie Jurassic Park proclaimed. Imagine living in such an environment, what would you eat? Where would you get your energy, how is this possible? By sequencing the genome of these clams and bacteria we may get a clue as to what we should be looking for on Mars. Anyone who says there is no life on Mars, no how, no way, disrespects what life is and is so caught up in their religious belief system that they doomed to be wrong about much more than this life. Think on it. |
