While many scientists were excited at first, much of the proof offeredįell apart.

It wasįound in the Allen Hills in Antarctica in 1984 after having landed there 12,000 Scientists at Johnson Space Center (a division of NASA), had discovered possibleįossils of bacteria in a meteorite named ALH84001 that came from Mars. This is a picture of the meteorite ALH84001. But, there has not been any concrete evidence as of yet of life anywhere in the solar system besides Earth. In 1996, scientists mistakenly thought that they had discovered life on Mars. We might have to imagine what such creatures would be like. If not, life would have developed the ability to withstand otherworldly environments as well as finding material for nutriment. Because the environment of other planets is more primitive, life on other planets (if it exists) may be primitive and unsophisticated. Sophisticated life forms are relative newcomers on Earth compared to bacteria. It is environments like these which are similar to those found on other planets. Even so, there are creatures on earth which seem to be able to survive in harsh environments, where the temperatures are very cold, or where there is little water or oxygen. Life as we know it on earth requires a certain environment to survive. Therefore, in order for something to be considered to 'have life' as we know it, it must possess these characteristics. Over time, living things evolve (change slowly) in response to their environment.

Living things reproduce and pass their traits onto their offspring.Living things respond to their environment.It's almost as hard as describing where life came from.Įven the biologists (people who study life) have a tough time describing what life is! But after many years of studying living things, from the mold on your old tuna sandwich to monkeys in the rainforest, biologists have determined that all living things (at least living things on Earth) do share some things in common: This tour wouldn't be complete without looking at.What is life? Does this sound like a strange question to you? Of course we all know what is meant by the word 'life', but how would you define it?ĭo all living things move? Do they all eat and breathe? Even though we all seem to know what is meant by saying something is 'alive', it's not very easy to describe what 'life' is. Potential for life in extreme environments. Although no signs of life on Mars haveīeen found, scientists will continue to search because they are aware of the Scientists turn to, because of its similarity to the Earth, is Mars. When we ask 'Where might we find extraterrestrial life', the first place many The footpad of the Viking lander is visible in the corner of the image. This is a Viking image of the surface of Mars.

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