Simulation Shows Bacteria Could Live on Mars

The possibility of life on Mars has been debated almost since the invention of the telescope.

Annual growth and shrinkage of the martian ice caps and seasonal changes in color were observed by astronomers such as Herschel and Whewell in the 18th and 19th centuries. Late in the 19th century, Schiaparelli reported the existence of linear features he called canali, and this led to speculation by Lowell (among others) that the Red Planet might host a civilization more advanced than our own.

The arrival of instrumented spacecraft, beginning with Mariner IV in 1964, showed a cratered, dry, cold planet that looked almost as inhospitable as our Moon; but later missions provided Via