If Mars formed life, then life on Earth could have been seeded by life on Mars, making every life form on Earth descended from Martians.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Whether Earth was deliberately terraformed, in other words, or whether it was seeded with the spores of life from crashed comets or whether, indeed, life arose here spontaneously and accidentally, it is reasonable to hope that we might find traces of the same kind of process on Mars.
As far as whether there is life there on Mars or whether there was actually ever life there, I don't know. It would be great to find out, though.
The discovery and investigation of life on other planets is likely to change many of our ideas about how life arose on the Earth and even what is life and its natural development.
The thing that sets Mars apart is that it is the one planet that is enough like Earth that you can imagine life possibly once having taken hold there.
If this is the only planet on which not only life, but intelligent life, has arisen, that would be very unusual.
To unambiguously settle the questions of whether there was life on Mars, it will take scientists down on the surface.
Of course, it's a dream to go to Mars. I want to find out whether there was life there or not. And if there was, then why did it die out? What sort of catastrophe happened?
I haven't a clue if there is life on other planets but I'd be charmed if we found a unicellular organism on Mars. It would change our whole concept of life on Earth.
Life comes from the earth and life returns to the earth.
When we get there, if we don't find any life on Mars, from that point on there will be life on Mars because we'll bring it there, whether it's germs and leftover urine bags, whatever it is.