50/50 CHANCE OF FINDING LIFE ON MARS: SCIENTISTS

Mankind has a “50/50” chance of finding evidence of life on Mars within the next three years, scientists working on the forthcoming rover mission predict.

The British-led team conducting trials for the ExoMars robot said plans to excavate deep below the Martian surface for the first time dramatically improved the odds of discovering past or present extraterrestrial life. Previous missions have mainly analysed surface rocks and topsoil. However, scientists believe the red planet’s thin atmosphere and corresponding intense radiation mean all but deeply hidden evidence of life will have been eradicated.

Dr. Ben Dobke, the team’s project director, said: “If you’re going to find microbial evidence of life, it’s probably underneath the surface.”