NASA confirms 'ancient life' on Mars while dismissing 'alien spaceship' rumours
Space agency made a surprise announcement in a press conference talking about the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS
NASA has announced the discovery of potential signs of ancient life on Mars. The revelation came during a press conference addressing speculation surrounding comet 3I/ATLAS, which had been rumoured to be an "alien spaceship".
Amit Kshatriya, NASA's Associate Administrator, informed thousands of space enthusiasts about signals indicating possible ancient life forms on the Martian surface.
He stated: "Just a few months ago we talked about what we think might be the signal from ancient life on the surface of Mars from our amazing machines that have been roving the planet. It could be an amazing discovery if we can confirm it."
Meanwhile, China has discovered caves on Mars where life could still be hiding. Scientists have discovered eight of them that appear to have been carved out by water, making them a perfect habitat for little green microbes.
Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb had previously suggested online that 3I/ATLAS was a "spaceship", citing anomalies displayed by the comet, reports the Daily Star.
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However, Mr Kshatriya dismissed these speculations, asserting in his address that 3I/ATLAS "is a comet". He later added: "A little bit more about the rumours, I think it is great the world is speculating about the comet.
"I took away just how interested and excited people were about the possibility of what this comet could be. What I think is really awesome is that folks are interested.
"What it could mean about how magical the universe could be... We think the universe is a magical place and we spend all our time exploring that. We want very much to find signs of life in the universe."
In a blog post published just hours before the NASA conference, Mr Loeb stated: "If an interstellar object happens to be technological, it could pose a threat to humanity.
"A few months ago, I described the `Loeb Scale' – where a rank of `0' implies a natural comet and a rank of `10' corresponds to alien technology that threatens humanity.
"We do not have a response protocol for alien technology, but after the first encounter - as long as we survive it - there will be political will to invest trillions of dollars in a warning system of interceptors that take close-up photos of anomalous interstellar objects.
"3I/ATLAS is expected to arrive closest to Earth at a distance of 269 million kilometres on December 19, 2025. Let us hope that it will not deliver us any unwanted gifts for the holidays."
