When we say ‘alien life,’ we usually think about it as many sci-fi movie directors have imagined. You know: little green men with pointy years and big black eyes. But not many people take into account that aliens could also be microscopic.
To make things even less dramatic, aliens could even be represented by germs. If we think about Earth, we know very well that there are plenty of microorganisms able to survive under extreme conditions. Therefore, why wouldn’t something similar exist on other planets as well, where the conditions are very hostile to life?
NASA’s Perseverance rover could bring back Martian rocks containing alien germs
NASA is preparing to bring back Martian rocks that were gathered by the Perseverance rover. But according to BGR.com, some scientists fear that those rocks could be contaminated with alien germs. One thing’s for sure: the idea sounds both exciting and frightening at the same time!
However, NASA itself is hesitant when it comes to bringing back those Martian samples. The space agency has asked for the public’s opinion if it’s right to bring those rocks to Earth.
Peter Doran, who’s a geologist from the Louisiana State University, said via NPR as BGR.com quotes:
I think that it’s a very low probability that there’s anything living at the surface of Mars,
But there is a possibility.
However, even if NASA would bring some alien germs to Earth, the chances of them surviving on our planet are very low if we take into account what Jim Bell says, who’s a planetary scientist at Arizona State University. He stated, as quoted by the same source mentioned above:
We’re talking about a completely different ecosystem, a completely different potential biosphere,
And, of course, we don’t know if there is or was a biosphere on Mars at all.
Where could you possibly hope to find alien life in the Solar System, except for Earth? The conditions on all the other planets are so extreme that it seems impossible for life to exist as we know it. Well, except for another planet. That planet is Mars.
