Ms. Skedzielewski
Honors Biology
May 30, 2014
Mars
The universe has always fascinated mankind. We have always wondered if there are extraterrestrial beings living somewhere out there. There are many planets, but few have ever been thought to be able to support life. However, some scientists believe that Mars may have once been a home to ancient organisms. One day, it may also be a home to some human beings. Through various studies, research, and experiments, scientists have worked to determine whether or not the Red Planet is able to support life. Human interest in Mars dates back to ancient times. The planet was named by the Romans in honor of their god of war, Mars. However, actual scientific studies of the planet with …show more content…
It confirmed the presence of craters on the Martian surface and gave scientists a better view on the planet's atmosphere (Snyder). Since then, many other spacecrafts have landed or orbited the planet in order to gather as much data as possible on Mars. The Mars Odyssey and the Mars Reconnaissance are currently orbiting the planet, while a rover known as the Curiosity is traveling along the surface of Mars (Angelo). Through the information gained by these spacecrafts, we have learned a great deal about this …show more content…
Currently, Mars is too cold to allow water to flow freely across its surface (Angelo). However, images sent back from spacecrafts show signs of small canyons, canals, and valleys (Snyder). Some scientists believe that these indentations were made by floods across the planet 3.5 billion years ago. All organisms on Earth need water to live. If water had once existed on Mars, then ancient lifeforms may have once been able to live there (Angelo). There is other evidence that suggests life once existed on Mars a long time ago. In the mid-1900s, scientists found a meteorite called the ALPH84001 that is believed to have come from Mars (Snyder). When examined, scientists found structures in the rock that look like fossil bacteria. Although scientists are not quite sure that the structures were martian bacteria, microscopic mineral grains were also found in the meteorite. These grains look similar to those that bacteria might have produced, and this serves as evidence that the structures in the meteorite could be ancient bacteria fossils