Looking for life on Mars: Ramesh Shrestha

While killing life on Earth

Mars, also known as the Red Planet, is a desert like rocky planet located 54.6 million kilometers from Planet Earth. For centuries Astrologers, Astrophysicists and Planetary scientists have been interested on Mars from the perspectives of their own specialised fields. The assumed similarity between the Earth and Mars including presence of water in all three forms - liquid, ice and moisture - particularly became of great interest to scientists raising the possibility of life on Mars. The first robot, named Pathfinder was launched in December 1996 and landed on Mars in July 1997. The name Pathfinder seems eerily appropriate given the fact that humanity seems to have lost its way on Earth. As we learn in our daily global events, we are unable to protect life on Earth - all forms of life - what are we going to do if there is life on Mars?

Known knowns

Our environment consisting of soil, water, air and sunshine collectively sustain all forms of life on planet Earth from single cell microorganisms to humans, the most complicated product of nature. We are destroying all these components of the ecosystem in our quest for wealth and in the name of development. The result of all development activities made many people rich and provided comfort to people everywhere but humans seem to have decided to consciously ignore the facts that we are collectively destroying all forms of life on Earth with the byproducts of uncontrolled human development activities. The UN has passed numerous resolutions and the UN member states have issued complimentary laws and policies based on these resolutions to improve our happiness and welfare which are implemented joyfully but have blatantly ignored the policies and laws to prevent destruction of the environment, which is sustaining our very own existence. How can humans be so oblivious to the potential catastrophe?

Forever wars

During WW-II somewhere between 70 to 85 million people were killed, of which nearly two thirds were civilians. Despite a promise of a peaceful coexistence since the end of WW-II, wars and conflicts never left our society. It may come as a surprise to many about the fact that as many as 80 million have been killed since the end of WW-II, between 1945 and 1990 (Rummel 1998). Millions were massacred during the Korean war and Vietnam war. Millions were killed while suppressing communism; millions were killed who rebelled against communism; millions were murdered in eastern Europe; millions were murdered to maintain control over the colonies prior to their liberation. Millions were killed by powerful nationalist governments to get rid of the opposition. At least 26 regimes in different regions of the world were involved in the business of killing people. (Above figures do not include post 1990 wars such as the two Gulf wars and the Afghanistan war and the Balkan war.) This is a snapshot of what the humans are doing to each other while looking for life on Mars.

There were clear cases of genocide and ethnic cleansing to rid of certain ethnic groups as in Rwanda, Srebrenica, Burma, Sudan, Palestine, etc. – some have been pacified, some still ongoing. Depending on how one classifies, there are 56 to 110 ongoing wars and conflicts in 2025. We are still very much in the business of killing simply because someone does not like others' appearance or religion. Ethnic cleansing has been like a dormant volcano, which explodes without warning.

Forever chemicals

There are more than 4700 synthetic chemicals which are used in different industries that produce goods to make our life comfortable. These chemicals do not decompose; they are indestructible, hence are called forever chemicals. It ranges from chemicals used in cosmetics to make us look beautiful; there are chemicals used in our domestic appliances such as non-stick cookware; there are chemicals used in manufacturing water resistant materials, stain removers, stain resistant products, dust and stain proof products, packaging materials, and so on. At some point in time all these products end up in landfills and the chemicals therein leach and find its way into the soil and underground water. Industrial wastes that were not treated, when incinerated or offloaded into drainage find its way into the water systems, discharge chemicals into the air and soil. Stockholm convention in 2020 recommended banning some chemicals (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) used in making water and grease resistant materials, stains, foams, household cleaning supplies and food processing industries. Some of these chemicals are known to impact fertility and the immune system which are banned in EU countries and the US but are still in use in many other countries.

These chemicals find their way into the human body through breathing polluted air or through food systems grown in contaminated soils and water systems. The scientists have found these chemicals in our bloodstreams, cord blood and breastmilk and various internal organs. Research conducted independently in several medical laboratories have linked these chemicals with chronic diseases of liver, kidney, thyroid, reproductive organs, immune system and abnormal foetal development. We talk of climate change, plastic pollution and sea level rise, warming temperature, heat waves, but we rarely hear about the forever chemicals that have invaded the human body through our ecosystem. There are not many scientific studies showing links between chronic diseases with forever chemicals. Why would that be?

Can this be a routine issue

In our quest to cure and prevent diseases scientists have developed gene therapy. In July 2025 scientists in the United Kingdom managed to stop a hereditary disease by using a genetic material from a third person to replace the gene from eight separate parents that successfully gave birth to eight different healthy babies. What will be the future of the human genome? Humans are not a GMO product, at least not yet. There are studies showing excessive use of GMO seeds, pesticides and herbicides have reduced or even killed soil fertility. Foods grown with GMO seeds have been found to have less nutrients and antioxidants compared to organic foods. Could there be something parallel in future in human beings who were born with various gene therapy?

The UN has published many resolutions and recommendations to regulate behaviours of nation states and humans but countries and people have somehow found a way to justify at best and outright ignore at worst based upon local political economy. All studies require environmental assessment yet only a handful of projects have been put on hold due to environmental concern. It is the same with biomedical study. All in all, we continue to destroy life on earth with one eye closed, including human lives yet we are spending billions to see if life exists on Mars. For what purpose? There is a need to invest in Earth to save humans, humanity and nature.

Read more articles by Ramesh here.
Or contact Ramesh at ramesh.chauni@gmail.com
Labels: Ramesh