Study: Mars “More Uninhabitable Than Previously Thought”

Perchlorates, salt minerals found on the surface of Mars, kill bacterial life within minutes. These compounds are stable at room temperature and were thought to become active only with high heat, which isn’t a problem on the cold surface of Mars. But this new study showed that UV light, even without heat, can activate these chemicals. This means that any life on the surface of the Red Planet would almost immediately die. It seems they won’t be finding life on the surface of our nearest celestial neighbor anytime soon (not that creationists were expecting it!).

It almost seems as if Mars was never designed for life in the first place!

Based on all the observational evidence, it almost seems as if Mars was never designed for life in the first place! (I say this a bit tongue-in-cheek, but it’s an important point.)

Even in its cursed state (Genesis 3), everything about earth is designed for life—liquid water (and lots of it!), the perfect atmosphere, a generous amount of sunlight (but not too much!), minerals, tides, ocean currents to circulate nutrients, and so much more. It’s clear that earth was specially designed for life, unlike the other bodies in our universe.

Actually, I’m not the first person to say that! In his Word, God has told us that earth was formed to be inhabited.

[The Lord] who formed the earth and made it
    (he established it;
he did not create it empty,
    he formed it to be inhabited!) (Isaiah 45:18)

But the other heavenly bodies were created for a very different purpose.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:14–15)

But earth and the heavenly bodies do both share a purpose—to bring glory to God and to point people toward him.

The heavens declare the glory of God,
    and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (Psalm 19:1)

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:20)

It’s unlikely that scientists will find life on Mars anytime soon, if at all. But the more we study what God has made, the more we see his glory and limitless wisdom and creativity.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.