There’s life on Mars. Proven, probably. Certain, quite likely. So say 11 esteemed scientists from such reputed institutions as the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard, the Scripps Center for Astrophysics Space Science, University of California, and nine others around the world.
No, these life forms aren’t little green men or flyin’ purple people eaters, monocular or otherwise. They are (drum roll please) fungal! – news that brings a thrill to the hearts of mycologists everywhere, all 1,200 or so of them.
The rovers, Curiosity and Opportunity, have photographed at least two types of structures that appear to be fungal in nature. One looks exactly like our common white puffballs, and one is fast growing, spreading by dark strands of tissue to cover many meters over the Martian growing season.
Both types are seasonal, appearing in Martian spring and summer, and disappearing over its fall and winter. Hundreds of tiny round “puffballs” emerge from bare earth, enlarge in size until they are almost touching, seem to slough off an outer layer, and disappear after presumably shedding spores. The long black strands grow rapidly in crevices among rocks. Both are seen in conjunction with water channels. (Martian “water” is a mixture of liquid CO2 and H2O, and it cuts channels into the soil just as plain water does here).
Fungi and bacteria inhabit the most inhospitable locations on earth – boiling springs, arid deserts, freezing icecaps, and oxygen-free ocean depths. Several species have been shown to survive on balloons flown into the stratosphere, where Martian-like conditions exist. There is no reason why similar species cannot exist on Mars, as inclement as it is to the animal and plant life with which we are more familiar.
The authors of the paper admit that it is possible that the specimens caught on camera by the rovers are not alive. One can just hear the muttered “barely possible.” There may be unknown geological forms or foreign minerals, they say that are unique to Mars and unknown on Earth. Living things, however, grow, move in space, change shape, and show seasonal variation. The Martian formations evidence all of those behaviors; ergo, they are alive, and there is life on Mars.
You may download the paper with its incredible images for yourself; “Fungi on Mars? Evidence of Growth and Behavior From Sequential Images.” Advances in Microbiology, Vol11 #5, May 2021.
Alas, you will not see any candid photos of little green men.
Marion M. Kyde, a mycologist, lives in Tinicum Township.
Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.
