Is there life on Mars? No, apparently not

The first test of Martian soil by the rover vehicle Curiosity has shown no definitive evidence that the red planet has the chemical ingredients to support life.

Scientists said last night a scoop of sandy soil analysed by the rover’s chemistry lab contained water and a mix of chemicals, but not the complex carbon-based compounds considered necessary for microbial life.

The latest findings, reported at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco, came from an instrument aboard the six-wheel rover that baked the soil and analysed the gases released.