Life on Mars? Queensland scientists help find the biggest clue yet
As a result of the research, Flannery said that the scientific community could say that for the first time, a potential extraterrestrial bio-impact was detected.
The ‘Leopard Points’ in Jezero Crater are a potential sign of life on Mars.Credit: NASA
“This is very important, but we cannot say that we have come to life until we bring it back,” he said.
If he was confirmed, the question would turn to whether life was independent of life in the world.
“This discovery is approaching to answer the question of whether life is beyond the world, and it will be to examine the next steps more closely in the world to bring back the examples and to answer some of the other really exciting questions,” he said.
“For example, has life evolved twice in our own solar system from scratch? Or is life perhaps from Earth to Mars or vice versa?
“Or is Mars a kind of unique planet with its own carbon cycle that does not contain life?
“The possibilities that we can answer with return examples in all of these questions.”
This can take some time. President Donald Trump has cut off the NASA budget since he returned to the oval office and risks the planned Mars sample return program.
“We are looking at how we have taken this example back or we have taken back other examples, Duff said Duffy.
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“We will look at our timing. And you know, how do we spend the money better and what technology do we have to get back the samples faster?”
Discovery, while dealing with the ancient life problem on Mars, Flannery said the possibility of permanently permanent on the Red Planet can not be discounted.
“Today, the surface of Mars is really cold and dry – as we know that it survives, it is very cold and dry and ice caps are too cold and dry,” he said.
“However, under the surface, there may be aquifers on Mars, such as water tables on the lower surface.
“On the earth, germs live on the surface, even five or more kilometers below the surface, so he can still survive on the underground surface if life develops on Mars in the past.”
Qut was a key player to build a planetary instrument for the X-ray lithochime, one of the seven instruments selected for packing in Mars Rover.
Together with PIXL, Qut researchers built the Pixlic software used by NASA scientists to analyze data from Threers.
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