Life on Mars

Life on Mars

I've started and restarted this post several times, not sure how to do it. I don't want to sound dumber than I can help it or more moon-beamy but on the other hand when I tried to write about it in neutral journalistic tones it was just redundant to what could be read elsewhere.

So, I'll just wear my emotions on my sleave. We're going to find life on Mars and sooner rather than later and it gives me goose bumps and will represent the most significant discovery in mankind's history and it's impossible to overstate my excitement at the prospect.

Three things happened this week. The first were reports from the European Space Agency that their Mars orbiter had found evidence that convinces them that there is a large, recently formed ocean of ice at Mars' equator. Scientists were struck by the similarities of the Martian sea to that covering Antarctica, where we know there's life.

The second of the week's events was additional evidence from the Europeans that volcanic activity continues to exist on Mars. As I understand it that augurs well for life for two reasons. One, we have discovered previously unknown and undreamt of life forms, tubular worms, that live off the heat and sulfuric excretions from the earth's crust at depths where sunlight, until then thought essential to life, could not penetrate.

Second, there had been tantalizing photographic evidence previously that volcanic activity on Mars had been so recent that it had caused liquid water to however briefly break the surface and run in rivers before evaporating into the Martian atmosphere. Everywhere on earth that we know of where liquid water exists life exists. Why would Mars be different?

The third development this week came from evidence found on earth. A NASA scientist examined a 30,000 year old chunk of ice under a microscope and saw frozen bacteria of an unknown form. When he thawed out the ice the damned bacteria starting swimming! They were still alive! Again, if that can happen on earth, why not on Mars? Even if there is no liquid water found on Mars (and there will be) we will find frozen life in the ice there, maybe even life that can be thawed out and made to "live" again.

It's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. Not only on Mars, but on Europa, and maybe in other places in our own little solar system and it makes me so excited I can't contain myself.

-Benjamin Harris