Imagine that in the dim light of distant Mars, scientists find crystals that may contain clues to long-extinct life. It sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but researchers are actively discussing this possibility. The alleged discovery of quartz crystals on Mars that can preserve traces of microorganisms has become a sensation. Why is this finding so important? If these alien minerals contain organic matter or microscopic fossils, we will have the first evidence of life beyond Earth. This discovery could revolutionize our understanding of the origin of life in the Universe and raise many new questions.
What is known at the moment?
Scientists from the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA have recently made an unusual discovery: high purity quartz crystals have been found on Mars. The Perseverance rover made this discovery while exploring the Jezero crater, a place where a lake could have existed billions of years ago. In 2023, after reaching the edge of this ancient crater, Perseverance recorded the presence of quartz, a mineral consisting of silicon dioxide (SiO2) in the rocks.
This caused a wave of interest among scientists, as quartz is usually formed with water participation and often in hydrothermal activity places. Hydrothermal processes involve the existence of hot springs, underground geysers, or volcanic fumaroles (a fissure that is a source of hot gases) where heated water interacts with rocks. On Earth, such “natural laboratories” are centers of life: entire colonies of bacteria exist near underwater hydrothermal vents.
Quartz crystals and related minerals such as opal found on Mars indicate that hot springs were active on the planet in the past. This means that Mars was once warm and humid, at least in certain regions, creating conditions favorable for the existence of microorganisms.
What’s even more impressive is that quartz can act as a time capsule. Its crystal structure can preserve organic molecules or even microscopic remains of ancient organisms for millions of years. If traces of organic matter or microfossils (microscopic fossils of microbes) are indeed found in Martian crystals, it will be the first indisputable proof of the existence of life on Mars in the past.
A similar process occurs on Earth. For example, in the Atacama Desert (Chile), silica deposits containing microorganisms are formed in the hot springs of El Tatio. Siliceous rocks can preserve signs of life for billions of years. In Western Australia, similar structures dating back 3.5 billion years have been found that contain traces of ancient microbes.
Thus, the quartz and opal found on Mars are important evidence that the planet once had a water environment suitable for the emergence and existence of life.
What are the next steps?
The next step is a detailed study of the found quartz crystals. To do this, NASA and ESA are preparing one of the most ambitious missions of the decade, the Mars Sample Return, which is to return Martian samples to Earth.
Perseverance is already collecting rock samples (including quartz) and sealing them in special capsules. In the coming years, other spacecraft will pick up these capsules and deliver them to Earth. In the laboratory, researchers will be able to apply the most advanced analysis methods: scanning under an electron microscope, chemical analysis of organic matter, tomography to search for cellular structures, etc.
In parallel, the European ExoMars mission plans to explore the depths of the Martian soil in the Oxia Plain. Its rover will be able to drill to a depth of two meters below the surface, where traces of life could be preserved much better than in the upper layer, which is exposed to radiation.
As NASA Chief Scientist Jim Green notes: “When the environment becomes too harsh, life hides under rocks”.
What if the hypotheses are confirmed?
If traces of life are indeed found in the quartz crystals of Mars, it will be a historic breakthrough in science. It will confirm that life is not unique to Earth. We will learn that it could have originated on different planets.
The probability of extraterrestrial life will increase dramatically. If life originated independently on two planets in the Solar System, then it may exist in other star systems. Therefore, if the signs of life found are similar to Earth’s microorganisms, this may indicate that the chemical and biological processes of life are similar throughout the Universe. If the life forms are radically different, it will show that evolution can take different paths.
Mars could have been the cradle of life for the Earth (or vice versa). It is possible that microbes came from Mars to Earth via meteorites, which would confirm the hypothesis of panspermia.
The colonization of Mars will become even more difficult. If life once existed (or even still exists) on Mars, strict rules will have to be developed to preserve its possible ecosystems.
If life is not found on Mars, this will also provide a valuable answer: even under favorable conditions, life may not arise.
We live in an extremely interesting time when the question of possible life on Mars is almost ready to be answered. In the coming years, thanks to the return of samples to Earth, we will be able to find out whether microorganisms existed on the Red Planet.
If traces of ancient life are found in quartz crystals, it will open a new page in the history of science. Then we will see Mars not only as a red desert, but as a world that could once have been alive.
And who knows – maybe this is just the beginning of our journey to discover life beyond Earth.
