Mars was wetter during the first half-billion years (4 to 3.

5 Ga), hosting liquid water on its

surface and shallow subsurface. This has made it a promising target for astrobiological studies. The
upper limit for life's origins is estimated to be 500 million years, with liquid water habitats on Mars
potentially surviving for up to 500 million years under thin ice covers with an atmospheric temperature
below freezing point. In the last 20 years, the scientific search for life on Mars has focused on two major
aspects: exploring Martian geological records for extinct life and looking for signs of extant microbial life
on Mars surface and subsurface environments. The search for extinct life on Mars has received more
attention due to the relatively more hospitable early Martian condition.

Life, if it exists elsewhere, is based on carbon chemistry, needs nitrogen, highly information-rich
organic compounds, energy, substrates, and liquid water. Understanding how organic substances are
synthesized a biogenically throughout the universe is also intriguing. However, tectonic recycling of early
biotic or pre-biotic organic signatures on Mars seems unlikely, as no evidence of past tectonic activity has
been recorded.

The type of organic material found on Mars has a direct bearing on two important scientific
questions: 1) how life arose on Earth and 2) how life in the universe may have originated. Several
missions have been sent or are under preparation to Mars for the detection of organic compounds in
surface/subsurface sediments and the atmosphere. Several Martian meteorites and surface sediments
have been found to contain organic carbon, but their origin remains unclear.

Existence of water and its role in the evolution and persistence of life on ancient Mars

Ancient Mars had localized habitats that were compatible with early life, similar to Earth's. Water
channels on the Martian surface were estimated to have formed intermittently between 0.5 and 3.5
billion years ago, possibly playing a significant role in the evolution of organic compounds and the
possible existence of past life. However, the existence of liquid water on the Martian surface was likely
sporadic and too brief to allow life to emerge and flourish. Even if a large quantity of water flowed during
these episodes, it would have vanished in a matter of weeks due to high evaporation rates. However,
observations do not rule out the possibility that a steady production of liquid water in local oases could
have counterbalanced high evaporation rates and allowed for the long-term existence of liquid water.