July 3, 1998 - Let’s get right down to it: Is there life on Mars? Most scientists say we just don’t know. When will we find out? Some say we’ll have to wait a decade, while others insist that the answer could be available significantly sooner. The big question about life on Mars has been asked for centuries, but it’s only been in the last few years that researchers have focused on the possibilities for a conclusive answer. Several factors have fueled the controversy. First, there was the discovery that life is thriving in hostile climes on Earth, such as the ice of Antarctica and volcanic vents at the bottom of the ocean. If life existed in those places, researchers asked, why couldn’t it also exist on Mars?