Exploration has no limits and the whole universe is out there waiting to be explored. If we talk about a planet that intrigues humans most it is Mars. A number of researchers have said that Mars might have been an inhabitable place.
This has led to the extensive study on Mars to find any trace of life on Mars. An article published based on research by a Cornell astrobiologist gives an idea of where humans are lagging behind in terms of finding traces of life on Mars.
In a paper published Feb 21 in Nature Communication senior author Alerto G Fairen has said that current instrumentation is not enough to find the organic material in Martian rocks. On Earth, the Red Stone Jurassic fossil delta of the Atacama Desert in northwestern Chile which is the oldest and driest desert on Earth is considered a popular analog to Mars.
Mars on the left, Earth on the right. Life on both? https://t.co/ghMoDfrdNg
(photos: @nasa, Armando Azua-Bustos) pic.twitter.com/TRvZtxTqMR
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) February 26, 2023
When the team of researchers worked on it they found an array of unclassified microorganisms. This revealed that current instrumentation sent on Mars cant detect such organisms on Mars. So either the scientist will have to send the complex instrumentation on Mars or they will have to work on bringing samples to Earth.
As of now NASA is working with the European Space Agency and others to safely return Earth’s Martian geological samples collected by the Perseverance rover. This research by the team will surely help space agencies to reframe their plan to find the traces of life on Earth.
