Published

2022-11-29

Life on Mars (LoMars): History, advances, current research, and perspectives

Vida en Marte: Historia, avances, investigación actual y perspectivas

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15446/esrj.v26n3.96985

Keywords:

Life on Mars, Water on Mars, Perseverance Rover, Mars 2020, Zhurong Rover, ALH84001 meteorite (en)
Vida en Marte, agua en Marte, astromóvil Perseverance, Zhurong Rover, meteorito ALH84001 (es)

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Authors

  • Arshad Ali Sultan Qaboos University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7087-0269
  • Muhammad S. Shahid Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), Al-Khod, Muscat 123, Oman
  • Iffat Jabeen Retired Geologist
  • Mohamed A.K. El-Ghali Earth Sciences Research Centre, Sultan Qaboos University, Al Khod, Muscat 123, Oman

A quest for life on Mars (LoMars) started in the early 1960s when the most prestigious scientific journals published several research articles. According to Elsevier’s Scopus database, the rise in annual literature production started in the late 1990s, most likely associated with the launch of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) first rover, Sojourner, in 1996. The number of articles on Mars will likely continue to rise sharply, given that the launch and landing of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover are critical to discovering and understanding the present or past life on the planet. Thus far, the USA has dominated in the number of citations and collaborations related to Mars research, given its facilities equipped with relevant infrastructure and researchers’ capacity to explore the Solar System beyond Earth. Most of these frequently cited papers report observational and theoretical research results. However, a highly cited article is based on analytical studies of a unique Martian meteorite (i.e., Allan Hills 84001) found in Antarctica. It is expected that the future sample return mission associated with the Perseverance Rover caching system could increase the LoMars research exponentially in the coming decades if Martian samples are successfully brought to Earth. Based on the total number of publications on LoMars, the most influential institute, the author, and the journal are Caltech, C.P. McKay, and Icarus, respectively. Both the institute and the author are directly affiliated with NASA, indicating the leadership offered by the organization in LoMars research.

Las preguntas sobre la vida en Marte comenzaron en los años sesenta cuando varios artículos de investigación se publicaron en las revistas científicas más prestigiosas. De acuerdo con la base de datos de Elsevier, el aumento en la producción literaria sobre este tema comenzo a finales de los noventas, debido al lanzamiento del Sojourner, el primer astromóvil de la Administración Nacional de Aeronáutica y el Espacio (NASA). Es previsible que el número de artículos sobre Marte continuará creciendo debido a que el lanzamiento y amartizaje del astromóvil Perseverance en 2020 es determinante en el descubrimiento y exploración del pasado y presente de este planeta. Los Estados Unidos han dominado en número de citaciones y colaboraciones relacionadas a la investigación de Marte, dada sus instalaciones equipadas con infraestructura relevante y con investigadores capacitados para explorar el sistema solar más allá de la Tierra. La mayoría de estos artículos, frecuentemente citados, presentan el resultado de investigaciones teóricas y de observación. Sin embargo, uno de estos trabajos se basa en los estudios analíticos del único meteórito proveniente de Marte y que fue hallado en la Antártida. Se prevee que el sistema de toma de muestras del Perseverance Rover incrementará exponencialmente la investigación sobre la vida en Marte en las próximas décadas siempre y cuando estas muestras puedan traerse a la Tierra. Con base en el número total de estudios sobre la vida en Marte, el instituto Caltech, el autor C.P. McKay y la publicación Icarus son las más influyentes de la materia. Tanto el instituto como el autor están afiliados directamente con la NASA, lo que indica el liderazgo ofrecido por la organización en las investigaciones sobre la vida en Marte.

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APA

Ali, A., Shahid, M. S., Jabeen, I. and El-Ghali, M. A. (2022). Life on Mars (LoMars): History, advances, current research, and perspectives. Earth Sciences Research Journal, 26(3), 221–230. https://doi.org/10.15446/esrj.v26n3.96985

ACM

[1]
Ali, A., Shahid, M.S., Jabeen, I. and El-Ghali, M.A. 2022. Life on Mars (LoMars): History, advances, current research, and perspectives. Earth Sciences Research Journal. 26, 3 (Nov. 2022), 221–230. DOI:https://doi.org/10.15446/esrj.v26n3.96985.

ACS

(1)
Ali, A.; Shahid, M. S.; Jabeen, I.; El-Ghali, M. A. Life on Mars (LoMars): History, advances, current research, and perspectives. Earth sci. res. j. 2022, 26, 221-230.

ABNT

ALI, A.; SHAHID, M. S.; JABEEN, I.; EL-GHALI, M. A. Life on Mars (LoMars): History, advances, current research, and perspectives. Earth Sciences Research Journal, [S. l.], v. 26, n. 3, p. 221–230, 2022. DOI: 10.15446/esrj.v26n3.96985. Disponível em: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/esrj/article/view/96985. Acesso em: 7 mar. 2025.

Chicago

Ali, Arshad, Muhammad S. Shahid, Iffat Jabeen, and Mohamed A.K. El-Ghali. 2022. “Life on Mars (LoMars): History, advances, current research, and perspectives”. Earth Sciences Research Journal 26 (3):221-30. https://doi.org/10.15446/esrj.v26n3.96985.

Harvard

Ali, A., Shahid, M. S., Jabeen, I. and El-Ghali, M. A. (2022) “Life on Mars (LoMars): History, advances, current research, and perspectives”, Earth Sciences Research Journal, 26(3), pp. 221–230. doi: 10.15446/esrj.v26n3.96985.

IEEE

[1]
A. Ali, M. S. Shahid, I. Jabeen, and M. A. El-Ghali, “Life on Mars (LoMars): History, advances, current research, and perspectives”, Earth sci. res. j., vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 221–230, Nov. 2022.

MLA

Ali, A., M. S. Shahid, I. Jabeen, and M. A. El-Ghali. “Life on Mars (LoMars): History, advances, current research, and perspectives”. Earth Sciences Research Journal, vol. 26, no. 3, Nov. 2022, pp. 221-30, doi:10.15446/esrj.v26n3.96985.

Turabian

Ali, Arshad, Muhammad S. Shahid, Iffat Jabeen, and Mohamed A.K. El-Ghali. “Life on Mars (LoMars): History, advances, current research, and perspectives”. Earth Sciences Research Journal 26, no. 3 (November 29, 2022): 221–230. Accessed March 7, 2025. https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/esrj/article/view/96985.

Vancouver

1.
Ali A, Shahid MS, Jabeen I, El-Ghali MA. Life on Mars (LoMars): History, advances, current research, and perspectives. Earth sci. res. j. [Internet]. 2022 Nov. 29 [cited 2025 Mar. 7];26(3):221-30. Available from: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/esrj/article/view/96985

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