In 1976, the Viking 1 and 2 landers carried out an experiment on Mars that aimed to test the possibility that there was life on the red planet. Some chemical reactions revealed were unexpected but they weren’t regarded as evidence of the existance of life forms. The issue remained controversial and now an international team of scientists who conducted new analysis on the data from that time concluded that probably there’s life on Mars.

The Vikings were two space probes sent to Mars in the ’70s. They were composed of an orbiter and a lander and were designed to capture high resolution images of the red planet, to study its atmosphere and surface, and also to try to figure out if there were any life forms.

The the Viking 1 lander reached Mars on June 19, 1976 in the region known as Chryse Planitia. The Viking 2 lander reached Mars on September 3, 1976 in the region known as Utopia Planitia. Both used their robotic arm to collect soil samples and perform biological experiments in sealed containers.

The results of the experiments were partially positive and this gave rise to the controversy over their interpretation. Most scientists believed that some non-biological chemical reactions had given unexpected results. However, over the years someone kept on analyzing the data from the experiments to see if in future missions they can be improved but also to give a final response to the results obtained.

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This new analysis, conducted by the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California (USC) led by associate professor of biology and neurobiology Joseph D. Miller, together with Professor Gilbert V. Levin Arizona State University and researcher of Human Pathology and Oncology Giorgio Bianciardi from the University of Siena, was published in the International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences.

In particular, according to this team the Viking experiment called Labeled Release (LR) was actually successful. The data were analyzed using sophisticated mathematical models and according to the results the Martians samples had behaviors different from non-biological processes.

At the moment we’re still talking about a mathematical analysis, a type of test which isn’t completely reliable even in the search for biological activity on Earth though we know the biochemistry of our planet’s life forms. A final answer can only come from new missions to Mars but it’s clear that much remains to be discovered on the red planet and the data collected in the ’70s are still useful in the research.