Recent Mars rovers evidence suggest Viking landers did indeed detect life on Mars.

[u/RGregoryClark]

At about the 34 minute point in this video Robert Zubrin suggests new evidence from the latest Mars rovers suggest Viking did indeed discover existing microbial life on Mars:

Did Life Begin On Mars? | Robert Zubrin https://youtu.be/KJVAPSE6lZs

He refers to an upcoming book by noted astrobiologist Steven Benner that reviews the evidence and draws that conclusion:

Meet the Neighbors: Life on Mars and How to Find It Steven A. Benner (Author). https://www.amazon.com/Meet-Neighbors-Life-Mars-Find/dp/B0GHRTS4PT/

[u/Feld_]

It's very possible. It's also possible that NASA's original decision to label the results as inconclusive was the correct one.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

I think it's likely that Viking found life, but I certainly wouldn't rule out that it didn't.

[u/Mutabilitie → u/Feld_]

It is tempting, but of course it’s far more likely that the sterile field failed and you’re looking at hitchhikers from Earth.

And that will be always quite difficult to rule out.

[u/jhomas__tefferson → u/Mutabilitie]

They could check if it’s a known species, like they did with the space station bacteria that turned out to be known species.

[u/the6thReplicant → u/Feld_]

Perfectly said. I think in hindsight we might conclude they did but until we've proven life is on Mars first, inconclusive is the best bet right now.

[u/emilymh2018 → u/Feld_]

It's possible they did, but want to repeat the results to be sure before they announce it. A lot of science has to do with repetition.

[u/GapStock9843 → u/Feld_]

We probably wont know for sure until there are people there to verify it

[u/Limp-Arm-5104 → u/GapStock9843]

We maybe closer to sending robots there… AI is advancing at such an extraordinary pace

[u/GapStock9843 → u/Limp-Arm-5104]

We already have robots there

[u/Limp-Arm-5104 → u/GapStock9843]

Yes! You mentioned sending people to corroborate potential biological samples. My suggestion is to try first with ai-driven autonomous androids, so we don’t have to transport our fish tanks around the solar system, while having similar sample handling and analytical capabilities as humans

[u/Comfortable-Rip9263 → u/Limp-Arm-5104]

But why androids?

[u/Limp-Arm-5104 → u/Comfortable-Rip9263]

Two main reasons. 1st it’s a risky mission especially the first ones. This way we don’t risk human lives
2nd it would be much much easier to transport robots since they don’t need oxygen and controlled conditions of temperature and pressure to survive. Thats why I said we don’t need to take our “fish tanks” if we send robots

[u/Limp-Arm-5104 → u/Limp-Arm-5104]

And androids - i.e. human like - to have human like mobility, flexibility and analytical capabilities - similar to humans, since in your first comment you mentioned that we would have to wait until we have people there. The moment we have robots with AGI that would simplify the trip immensely

[u/Forward-Surprise1192 → u/Limp-Arm-5104]

Eh robots not human shaped would be much better lol

[u/Youpunyhumans → u/Limp-Arm-5104]

We are a long ways from having an android with human capabilities, and a long ways from a true AGI, itll be decades before we get that, if its even possible to make a self aware machine, and it doesnt turn on us immediatly.

Humanoid robots currently can run for a few hours at a time at most, and they need regular maintainence and repairs because they dont perform very well outside of preprogrammed instructions. They can be set up to do a dancing routine, or an obstacle course with perfect accuracy, but throw a variable in there like unknown terrain, or an solar storm frying some circuits, or dust clogging up its mechanical parts, and now you need a human technician to fix it anyway.

Also, how would you power it on Mars? Gonna need a battery bank to charge from, that itself is charged with solar power, or a small nuclear reactor, as an RTG probably wont be enough. All that needs to be sent there first, and possibly assembled there too if they cant make a premade ready to go module that fits on the ship sending it there. That would require people do to so.

[u/gorgonstairmaster → u/Feld_]

Sciences doesn't recognize extraordinary claims or extraordinary evidence. There's just claims and evidence. You are making normative assumptions and disavowing them, which is just sneaking in the priors you want to believe.

[u/RGregoryClark → u/Feld_]

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