Japanese scientists have discovered how life on Mars may have originated alongside life on Earth.
Born in the “Goldilocks zone” of the Solar System, along with Venus and Earth, Mars possesses oceans and various living conditions… yet it has always raised doubts due to seemingly lacking the necessary elements to “kickstart” a biosphere.
Now, a research team from Tohoku University in Japan has identified what they call a “ray of life”, according to Sci-Tech Daily.
Early Mars may have produced the building blocks for life right in its atmosphere. – (Photo: SCITECH DAILY).
To explore this possibility, scientists utilized computer models based on existing data about Mars to investigate whether the planet’s initial atmospheric conditions could encourage the formation of organic compounds.
In a publication in the scientific journal Scientific Reports, they noted that today, although Mars is dry and extremely cold, it once had a “friendly” past around 3.8 to 3.6 billion years ago. During that time, Mars had a temperate climate, maintained by warming characteristics of gases like hydrogen. It was also when the planet had water, contained in rivers, lakes, and oceans where NASA has found traces.
Model experiments indicated that under such conditions, the atmosphere rich in hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide could produce formaldehyde. This simple organic compound plays a crucial role as a precursor to essential biological molecules such as amino acids and sugars.
New simulations suggest that this ancient Martian atmosphere generated formaldehyde in significant quantities, continuously during two early geological periods of the planet.
Thus, it is possible that Mars had the basic building blocks of life due to the wondrous reactions occurring in its atmosphere.
The study not only provides evidence of the potential for life to exist on ancient Mars but also offers a mechanism for how life could arise on a planet formed in the Goldilocks zone of star systems.
Additionally, there is another widely accepted theory regarding the origin of life: that organic material was delivered by asteroids and comets.
Regardless of how it happens, this indicates that life in the universe may originate in various ways. And, it is almost certain that we are not alone in the universe.
