A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Edinburgh has suggested that Mars may be once home to an alien civilization, at least in microbial forms. As per the researchers who took part in the study, rocks near the ancient Martian lakes may contain traces of tiny creatures, better known as microbes.
The researchers believe that the sedimentary rocks made of mud and clay in the Martian surface may contain fossils in all probabilities. These sedimentary rocks were apparently formed during the Noachian and Hesperian Periods of Martian history. Experts argue that water was quite abundant on Mars around three to four billion years ago.
During the study, researchers conducted various experiments by replicating the environmental conditions on Mars and later tried to locate the most promising sites to look for alien fossils. The recent research was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.
The team of researchers who took part in the study also believes that the findings obtained from this study could help NASA to select a suitable landing spot during their next Mars mission. NASA upcoming mission will be launched in 2020 and through this mission, the space agency aims to collect rock samples which will then be brought back to Earth for analysis.
"There are many interesting rock and mineral outcrops on Mars where we would like to search for fossils, but since we can't send rovers to all of them we have tried to prioritize the most promising deposits based on the best available information," said Dr Sean MacMahon, the researcher who led the study, quoted by First Post.
This is not the first time that a credible group of scientists is talking about alien life on Mars. Previously, Barry DiGregorio, an astrobiologist and an honorary research fellow at the University of Buckingham has also revealed that he has found the evidence of alien life on the red planet. The astrobiologist claimed that he has spotted biomarkers in the Martian surface, and added that NASA is intentionally covering up the details they know about alien life.
