Scientists have found out who could accidentally destroy life on Mars (4 photos)

Is there life on Mars or not - science does not know, but scientists have already found the culprits who, in theory, could eliminate this life, even if by accident.





A few decades ago, in the 1970s, the Viking landing modules became the first American mission to successfully land on the Red Planet. And at that very moment, earthly researchers, without realizing it, caused irreparable harm to Martian life forms.

Astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch of the Technical University of Berlin in Germany argues that an experiment to detect signs of microbial life on Mars could have been deadly. When the Americans landed on Mars in 1976, the two Viking landers had a list of targets.



A photograph of Mars taken in 1976 by the Viking 1 spacecraft, showing craters, mountains, and the planet's thin atmosphere.

The results the landers sent home were... mixed, to say the least. Some experiments showed positive signs, while others - notably their gas exchange experiment - did not. However, one instrument designed to detect organic compounds detected chlorinated organics. In short, it's complicated. Scientists then decided that there was no life on Mars, and all they found was pollution from Earth.





If there was water on Mars

As the years went by, some scientists, including astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch of the University of Berlin, continued their research and came to the conclusion that... horror of horrors, the Viking landers may have accidentally killed life on Mars by using too much water when examining samples.

According to scientists, the main mistake was the use of Earth water, because the Martian microbes were clearly adapted to the dry climate, here they were literally flooded, they, the poor things, could not stand it and heroically died in the dungeons of the American landing module.

In general, where only the Americans did not accidentally destroy life, starting with America itself.



Blue sunset on Mars

In short, scientists sprinkle ashes on their heads and demand that NASA send another expedition to Mars, taking into account all the knowledge they have acquired, and that in searching for life on Mars, they should not mindlessly search for water, but rather look for salts (no, not the ones from St. Petersburg), but for hydrated and hygroscopic compounds, and these are the ones that will lead us to a form of life. NASA has not yet responded to this call. They have no time to fly to Mars for salts.