Harsh Unfriendly Mars | The Institute for Creation Research

 
Harsh Unfriendly Mars

There has been much excitement recently regarding the stunning successes of America's two Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs). Landing on opposite sides of the Red Planet, Spirit and Opportunity have functioned almost flawlessly. Now it looks like they have found signs of past water activity, sulfate minerals, and salts in some rock samples.

Unfortunately, evolutionary naturalists have equated this possible indication of water and minerals with life itself. Astronomer Stephen Squyres, principal scientist for the MER mission, declared that the area around Opportunity was ". . . almost certainly once habitable by life as we know it . . ."1 Really?

Creation scientists urge caution, especially after the alleged "meteor from Mars" (labeled ALH84001) that supposedly contained "nanobacteria," which were later found to be contaminants.

With information coming in from the Red Planet, it looks as though areas of Mars are toxic—hardly a place for delicate life to spontaneously appear from non-life. For example, a recent discovery of a noxious molecule in the Martian atmosphere has not helped secure hopes of past life on the Red Planet—

The researchers note that [hydrogen peroxide] is hazardous to microorganisms and so would discourage the existence of life on the surface of Mars.2

As the trillions of cells of animals and people metabolize, the byproducts include the toxic compound hydrogen peroxide. This chemical is dangerous and must be immediately neutralized before it can damage surrounding tissue. The Creator has designed enzymes to rapidly break down hydrogen peroxide into harmless compounds, except in some white blood cells where it is used to destroy organisms that invade our body.

Evolutionists active in this search for Martian life maintain that life is found in very inhospitable areas on Earth such as unique bacteria in the hot springs at Yellowstone National Park.3 If this is the case, they insist, then why couldn't life evolve from non-life on inhospitable Mars? And there's the catch. The existence of past and present heat resistant bacteria (thermophiles) here on Earth is a far, far cry from their evolving from non-life in the same harsh environment on either Mars or Earth! Put another way, because we observe brutal conditions on Mars (science reporter R.R. Britt speaks of "the harsh realities of a very unfriendly world"4), does this make it any more plausible that life evolved there? Quite the contrary. The spontaneous generation of life from non-life is easily the biggest hurdle for any evolution scenario, especially in harsh environments.

But let's suppose for a moment life is found on Mars. What then? According to an article in Newsweek magazine—

We think there's about 7 million tons of earth soil sitting on Mars, says [evolutionist Kenneth] Nealson. You have to consider the possibility that if we find life on Mars, it could have come from Earth.5

_____________________________
1. Petit, C., "Ancient water," US News & World Report, March 15, 2004, p. 71.
2. Chemical & Engineering News, March 1, 2004, p. 27.
3. http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html
?pid=13809
4. Britt, R., "Mars Underground," SPACE.com, March 8, 2004.
5. Weingarten, T., Newsweek, September 21, 1998, p. 12.

Cite this article: Sherwin, F. 2004. Harsh Unfriendly Mars. Acts & Facts. 33 (5).

The Latest
CREATION PODCAST
Five Unforgettable Lessons Learned from the Scopes Trial | The...
The Scopes Trial is one of the most famous court cases in American history, and this year marks its one hundredth anniversary....

NEWS
Yet Another Revised Age for the Land-Animal Ancestor
An allegedly vital piece of animal evolution was first discovered in 1984 in Scotland. Conventional scientists suggested the fossil of Westlothiana...

NEWS
Dr. James S. Johnson Goes Home to the Lord
Dr. James S. Johnson, chief academic officer and associate professor of apologetics for ICR’s School of Biblical Apologetics (SOBA), joined his...

NEWS
Pluto’s Largest Moon Looks Young
When the New Horizons space probe captured images of Pluto and its large moon Charon as it flew by in 2015, conventional scientists were surprised by...

NEWS
55-Million-Year-Old Tree Frog…Is Still a Tree Frog
In the 1990s, Australian paleontologists discovered fossil frog bones during a dig in Murgon, Queensland.1 This new species of frog—Litoria...

NEWS
Pastor and Longtime ICR Supporter Dr. John MacArthur Now with...
Faithful ICR supporter and pastor Dr. John MacArthur went home to be with the Lord on Monday, July 14, 2025, completing his 86-year pilgrimage.1...

CREATION PODCAST
Setting Sights on Scopes: The Truth Behind the Infamous Monkey...
The Scopes Trial is one of the most famous court cases in American history, and this year marks its one hundredth anniversary. Often,...

NEWS
Did Earthworms Rewrite Their DNA to Survive on Land?
An earthworm news story was recently posted that openly questions Darwin’s gradual and slow evolutionary progress in the living world.1...

NEWS
Mysterious Erosion Confirms High Flood Boundary
Two separate research reports arrived at a similar conclusion.1,2 Both found an episode of mysterious erosion had occurred near the end of...

NEWS
A Uniquely Designed Air-Filled Sac Within Birds’ Lungs
Soaring birds are a majestic sight to behold, especially when they undergo such climbing and endless spiraling so effortlessly. Not surprisingly, evolutionists...