Mars may seem like a barren, lifeless world today, but 3 to 4 billion years ago, conditions were very different. Geological evidence indicates that liquid water once flowed on its surface. Since water is closely tied to life, researchers have long wondered if life ever existed on the Red Planet. A team of scientists from Tohoku University is working to answer that question by exploring how organic matter might have formed in Mars’ ancient atmosphere. Organic matter typically comes from living organisms like plants and animals, or as the result of certain chemical reactions. By studying the sta…