Life on Mars?

Published on Friday, 05 August 2011 12:54

	By Gregg Bayes-Brown Follow @ATE_Gregg

One of humanity’s great failings is man’s general assumption that we know the universe better than infinity.

Water is a perfect example. 40 years ago, water in space was unthinkable. Then we found it. Then we found more of it. Recently, we found enough water circling a black hole that could hydrate every planet in the galaxy several thousand times over. And now, NASA have given evidence that liquid water may exist on Mars.

Images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have shown a series of long, spindly gulleys that analysts believe have been carved out by liquid water.

"It's hard to imagine they are formed by anything other than fluid seeping down slopes," said NASA Scientist Richard Zurek.

The tendrils can be up to several hundred metres long

The tendrils appear during summer months, leading researchers to conclude that the effect is caused by thawing mud. However, one problem remains; the temperature. While Mars occasionally peaks above the 0° C mark, the normal temperature makes a trip to Siberia look like a beach holiday.

"The best explanation we have for these observations so far is flow of briny water, although this study does not prove that," said Professor Alfred McEwen of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory.

Without getting to Mars and taking a sample, it’ll be impossible to prove that the effect is caused by salty water (which has a lower freezing point than standard H₂O). However, if NASA’s assumptions turn out to be correct, the consequences for how we perceive the universe are staggering.

Currently, we can only speculate on the cause. The effect, however, is evident.

Speaking today to BBC Radio 4, prominent author and scientist Dr David Whitehouse said, “If [life] happens on Mars… it really tells us that the universe must be teeming with life.”

On Earth, we have discovered life in every single damp corner we’ve looked in. If there is indeed liquid water on Mars, then our sci-fi fantasies about strange creatures on Mars may well prove not to be as laughable as previously thought.

Forget the Taliban. The Martians are coming!

Currently, Drake’s Equation estimates the number of intelligent life forms in our galaxy at roughly 10,000. If we keep making discoveries such as liquid water on Mars or finding water replacements on other planets and moons, we will have to revise that drastically.

Previously, man thought he was alone in the universe. Now, it seems more like you can’t swing a cat up there without smashing it into a Wookie swinging a Klingon.

But that’s infinity for you. When you think about it logically, in a universe where literally anything and everything can and probably does exist, the chances of there being more life out there is pretty much one to one.

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NASA's official video

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© Images and video are courtesy of NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.