Alien life may have thrived on Mars in a mysterious era following a terrifying series of ancient cataclysms.
An international team of researchers has discovered evidence which suggests extraterrestrial organisms could have survived a long, long time ago when the Earth was still barren and lifeless.
We know that Mars and Earth were both battered by asteroids and other space objects during a period often called the Late Heavy Bombardment.
Now scientists have found clues indicating water existed on the Martian surface after this bombardment died down and ‘giant, life-inhibiting meteorites stopped striking the Red Planet’.
This means there is a ‘real chance’ that alien organisms could have survived on Mars some 4.48 billion years ago – predating life on Earth by 500 million years.
In fact, the meteors which rained down on the Red Planet may have liberated life-sustaining water from its core.
‘Giant meteorite impacts on Mars may have actually accelerated the release of early waters from the interior of the planet setting the stage for life-forming reactions,’ said Dr Desmond Moser from the Department of Earth Sciences at Western University.
‘This work may point out good places to get samples returned from Mars.’
Moser and his team, which included a Nasa scientist, analysed fragments of meteorites here on Earth which originated from Mars.
‘The results suggest that heavy bombardment of Mars ended before the analyzed minerals formed, which means, the Martian surface would have become habitable by the time it is believed that water was abundant there,’ the university said in a statement.
This could mean life started in our home star system a lot earlier than previously believed.
‘Water was also present on Earth by this time – so it is plausible that the solar system’s biological clock started much earlier than previously accepted.’
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