• Question: What do we do if we find basic life on mars? Do we interfere? Or leave it alone?

    Asked by ffion to Arlene, Colin, David, Eugene, Paul on 14 Nov 2012. This question was also asked by conormaynard7275.
    • Photo: Paul Higgins

      Paul Higgins answered on 14 Nov 2012:

      I suppose that will be up to the people operating the rovers, or the astronauts that find it. If there is life it would probably be bacteria-like. I think it would be better to leave it where it is, because it might be dangerous to humans. It would be worth studying though, because it might give us clues as to how life evolved on earth. Does the bacteria have DNA? If so, is it like ours? Did life on mars and earth both come from the same place? Perhaps a comet seeded life on earth and or mars?

    • Photo: David McKeown

      David McKeown answered on 14 Nov 2012:

      We will have to be very careful if we find any life. I think we would have to interfere, prod and poke it a little see what it is made of, see if it is like us or something completely new. Probably best to do that on Mars, so we won’t mess up earth if something goes weird. If the life we find isn’t small but a big monster, we should “Run, run for the hills!”

    • Photo: Colin Johnston

      Colin Johnston answered on 16 Nov 2012:

      I think any alien life should be thoroughly studied by scientists.

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