The red planet has always had sort of a special place for us human beings. Whenever we talk about finding extraterrestrial life, Mars seems to be the first planet that comes under the spotlight, be it in fiction or real world exploration.

We have spent decades exploring Mars and have sent numerous rovers and orbiters there to study the present condition as well as to provide clues to its past so we can build a comprehensive picture of any past activity or future possibilities.

Many pieces of evidence suggest that there used to be oceans of water on the planet just like we have on Earth today and although we do not have any direct evidence, many experts suggest that Mars could have been teeming with life billions of years ago.

Assuming that is correct, it would be interesting to find out what caused all of them to go extinct. Could it have been because of a huge asteroid impact, like in the case of dinosaurs? If so, could the extinction of life on Mars have caused the beginning of it on Earth?

Are We Martians?

Earth and Mars are relatively close to each other and their close proximity may have allowed for a huge cosmic event. It is possible that when a huge asteroid struck Mars, large chunks of Martian rocks made their way to Earth.

If these chunks had lifeforms still intact, they could have planted seeds of life here on Earth and it could have evolved from there on, according to the conditions present at the time. This process is technically known as panspermia.

Although hotly debated and often dismissed, there are studies from time to time that present strong argument in favour of panspermia. Some studeis state that necessary chemical ingredients for life were brought to Earth from Mars and some state that microorganisms themselves might have hitched a ride here.

If true, this would in essence mean that we all have our origins on Mars and are therefore Martians. What would be more interesting is if Mars still has some forms of life beneath the ground. If discovered, that will allow scientists to study how different Earth and Mars life is and why. It would surely provide a much deeper understanding of the mechanics of life itself.