Proof Of Life On Mars Discovered By Viking Lander In 1976, New Study Claims

Viking Lander mission in 1976 had found extant microbial life on the planet Mars, a major study claimed. The researchers investigated the findings from Viking Labeled Release (LR) experiment 40 years ago and gauged the "non-biological hypotheses."

In the article printed in the journal Astrobiology, the authors stated that the evidence is coherent with a biological description. This indicates microorganisms on the Red Planet acclimated and developed to endure the tough environmental conditions. The authors of the study are from Arizona State University, Tempe and the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda.

NASA's Maven space probe captures stunning ultraviolet image of the red planet, Mars. pic.twitter.com/QzYaG92Rrq

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In the experiment, the landers collected samples of soil from various areas of the planet Mars. They were exposed to preheating, nutrient injection and stored in the dark for two months. The findings of the experiments indicated noticeable similarities to reactions seen in terrestrial soil that included data from samples gathered in Alaska, California and Antarctica, according to Daily Mail.

The authors explained that each of these characteristics is reminiscent of responses by a compendium of terrestrial microorganism species. This involves the early positive responses, the 160C and 50C heat controls, the reabsorption of evolved gas upon the second injection of nutrient and death from isolated long-term storage.

The researchers also stated that the manned missions to Mars are now predictable in the coming years. They said that it is a concern for safety, health and biology to explain the findings found in 1976. "Plans for any Mars sample return mission should also take into account that such a sample may contain viable, even if dormant, alien life, "as noted by the Sun.

Meanwhile, Chris McKay, Ph.D., senior editor of astrobiology and an astrobiologist with Nasa Ames Research Centre corresponds on the said study. He said that even if one is not convinced that the Viking LR results give strong evidence for life on Mars, the study evidently suggests that the possibility must be considered.