A small group of scientists believes that life has already been found on Mars.
Some boffins believe that life already exists on Mars
The experts think that they have spotted fossilised sponges, fungi, shrimp, crabs, sea spiders, scorpions and even a translucent millipede on the surface of the Red Planet.
The group of researchers have published papers in journals that set out their reasoning for believing that proof of life is already on the planet but the controversial issue is unlikely to be settled until humans set foot on Mars.
Dr. Rudolph Schild, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said on behalf of the academics: "We have photos of fungi growing out of the ground, increasing in size, increasing in number, as based on sequential images.
"Imagine, if you saw some of these specimens in your backyard, or growing in your bathtub, wouldn't you spend a lot of time investigating, calling in experts, taking photos from every angle, trying to nudge it and see what happens?
"Definitive proof would tell us we are not alone. We could assume that life has evolved on innumerable Earth-like planets."