Is There Life On The Red Planet

• Mars is the planet in our Solar System that is most similar to the Earth.


• Primitive life could survive around hydro-thermal vents near the planet's surface.

• Nowadays it may be too cold for life to exist there. But organisms may have thrived in the past.

Mars is most similar to our earth but it has no species . The Reason that Mars is most similar to our earth is because it has the following things:

• It has a similar temperature

At present, it's too cold for liquid water to exist on the surface. But the planet may have been warmer in the past.

• It has an atmosphere

The atmosphere is much thinner than on Earth. Plus there's not much ozone to protect the planet from the Sun's harmful UV rays. But the atmosphere may have been thicker millions of years ago.

• It has a rocky surface

This makes it easier for life to get a foothold. On rocky planets, all the necessary chemicals for life can collect in one place, rather than floating freely through a gassy atmosphere.

• It has polar ice caps
  

These expand and contract with the planet's seasons. Although the ice is mostly frozen carbon dioxide, there is probably water there too. So like the Earth, Mars could also have a water cycle.

Will Life Be Found On Mars?

Although it's probably too cold for life to exist on the surface of Mars, it could exist in warmer pockets below ground. Micro-organisms could be living around hydro-thermal vents near the planet's surface.

In the past, Mars was a very different world. The Mars Global Surveyor probe found evidence that there was running water on the planet's surface. This would have made the planet much more hospitable to life.

Why is water essential for life?

A change in Mars' climate may have killed off primitive life forms early in the planet's history. If so, we may find fossilised evidence of life on Mars. Only time will tell.