What must scientists confirm about detected life relative to Earth life?
Answer
Confirming it is chemically and structurally alien to Earth life
The challenge posed by forward contamination means that every potential discovery must undergo rigorous verification to rule out terrestrial origin. To definitively claim a Martian biosignature, scientists must demonstrate that the structure or chemical composition of the suspected life is fundamentally different from, or chemically and structurally alien to, any life native to Earth. This confirmation step is vital because even hardy Earth microbes can survive transit; only by proving non-terrestrial chemistry can researchers be confident they have discovered life that arose independently on another world.
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