WASHINGTON: The moon is no longer a mystery. Now, the human curiosity is leading him to distant planets like Mars. Jupiter will be the next target if the search for earth-like life on Mars fails.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has already announced tentative plans for space probes during the next two decades which include extensive Mars and Jupiter exploration. While Mariner-7 is providing direct information about Mars, scientists are actively developing hypotheses about the possibility of life on other planets. Jupiter heads the list of such probabilities.

An American biochemist says laboratory experiments suggest that the chemical precursors of animal life could have evolved on the planet Jupiter.

The experiments, stimulating Jupiter’s atmosphere, were conducted at a research centre of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration. — Agency

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2019