Recently, China officially launched its Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, Tianwen-3, marking a significant step forward in planetary exploration. The mission aims to bring Martian samples back to Earth, where advanced laboratory instruments will be employed to conduct comprehensive analyses, seeking to determine whether life ever existed—or may still exist—on Mars.
Is there life on Mars?
Earth is the only planet we know that harbors life. Research traces the origin of life on Earth dates back to approximately 3.8 billion years ago, about 700 million years after the formation of our solar system. Drawing on theoretical, experimental, and observational approaches, scientists believe that Earth's evolution during its first 700 million years made it a planet capable of producing life and being habitable. However, definitive evidence is still lacking as to whether life on Earth arose solely through indigenous evolution.
Like Earth, Mars lies within the habitable zone of our solar system. Research suggests that Mars once had a dense atmosphere and a warm, moist climate early in its history, making it suitable for the emergence and development of microbial life. From an astrobiological perspective, the early Martian environment was conducive to the survival of many of the so-called extremophiles found on Earth.