Is there life on Mars? The detector returned the picture, scientists: found a suspected growing fungus

According to a report on May 10, 2021, 11 researchers from different countries and institutions agreed to publish a paper in the journal Advances in Microbiology that scientists When the photos were analyzed and processed, it was found that there were some white, shapeless specimens in a crack on the surface of Mars that constantly changed shape and position, and then disappeared within three days. for these phenomena. Some scientists say they have discovered "fungi" that are emerging from the Martian soil and growing in size.

In addition to finding "fungi" emerging from the Martian soil, the researchers also found some "growth"-like phenomena on the Martian surface. In the spring, thousands of black, spider-like materials grow on the surface of Mars, and in winter the black, spider-like materials disappear, and this situation repeats every spring. Some scientists believe that this phenomenon may mean that there are some black fungi, molds, moss, algae, methanogens and sulfur-reducing species on the surface of Mars.

While some objects have been found to emerge from the Martian surface, grow or disappear, some scientists have questioned them. For example, Jonathan Clark, president of the Australian Mars Society, said that in the low temperature and low pressure Martian environment, the soil contains very little organic matter, and it is almost impossible for life to exist, and it is even more impossible for organisms to grow at such a fast rate. As a geologist, Jonathan Clark believes that the "fungus"-like objects emerging from the Martian subsurface may be spherical tuffs on the surface of Mars, which are composed of hematite. When this Martian rock erodes, it leaves behind small hard balls.

Is Mars really suitable for life?

Mars, which is more than 55 million kilometers away from Earth and 400 million kilometers away at the farthest distance, is also in the habitable zone of the solar system, so its cosmic environment is relatively mild, and the solar radiation is not very strong, so the temperature is not like Mercury. , as high as Venus. Even so, the environment of Mars is far from our home on Earth.

First, Mars does not have a magnetic field similar to Earth's, which means that radiation such as cosmic rays from deep in the universe can directly reach the surface of Mars. If there are living things on the surface of Mars, they will be exposed to high radiation. We all know that high radiation poses a great threat to life. The reason why our earth can appear vibrant scene is inseparable from the protection of the earth's magnetic field.

Secondly, the Martian atmosphere is very thin, and the air density is only 1% of that of Earth, which means that Mars cannot form an effective greenhouse effect, so the temperature of the Martian surface is very low. Even though the probe has found that Mars still has a lot of water resources, these waters cannot exist in liquid form for a long time, but are distributed in the south pole or mid-latitudes of Mars in the form of water ice. In such a desolate, dry Martian environment, the rover did not find a trace of life.

Although so desolate, some scientists still believe that there may be life on Mars. Some scientists have conducted a study and found that microorganisms can adapt to arid environments. In the laboratory, scientists put some microorganisms into the culture medium for cultivation, and then the culture medium and microorganisms were dried. After the microbes were dried, scientists provided them with water, and found that the microbes that had been dried came back to life. In this regard, scientists believe that if similar microorganisms exist on Mars, they should be able to survive on Mars.

Because Mars, like Earth, also has four seasons, when spring and summer arrive, the temperature of Mars will be relatively high, and the water ice material in some areas may experience seasonal melting. If similar microbes exist on Mars, they could get water and wake up in the spring when some of the water ice melts. When Mars enters a cold winter, this moisture freezes again, and these potential microbes go dormant again, waiting for spring and summer to wake up again.

Of course, whether there are microorganisms on Mars that can adapt to a humid and arid environment is still unknown. Because the probe has not yet found evidence of the existence of microorganisms on Mars. After all, the equipment carried by the probe is limited, and the experiments that can be carried out on the surface of Mars are also limited. However, in the near future, we may retrieve Martian soil samples from Mars and conduct comprehensive analysis of these Martian samples in a laboratory on Earth. If microbes are present in Martian samples, they will be discovered.