Did mars have life?

Liquid water is necessary for known life and metabolism, so if water was present on Mars, the chances of it having supported life may have been determinant. The Viking orbiters found evidence of possible river valleys in many areas, erosion and, in the southern hemisphere, branched streams. read more

But they have yet to find signs that actual microbes did live in that oasis. “We have found a habitable environment that is so benign and supportive of life that probably if this water was around and you had been on the planet, you would have been able to drink it,” said John P. Grotzinger, the California Institute of Technology geology professor who is the principal investigator for the NASA mission. read more

Ancient Mars featured flowing rivers and sizable lakes — but that doesn't mean the Red Planet could definitely have supported life, one prominent researcher stresses. read more