Why might Martian life be overlooked even if samples were analyzed on Earth?

Martian life might utilize elements or molecular structures unknown on Earth

A profound implication of discovering life arising independently on Mars is that its biochemistry might not mirror Earth's. Terrestrial life operates using a specific set of organic molecules and elemental ratios. If Martian organisms utilized entirely different solvent systems, incorporated unusual elements, or assembled biological structures based on molecular frameworks completely foreign to Earth biology, current detection methods designed to look for Earth-like structures might fail to recognize them as organized complexity. Researchers must remain open to identifying novel forms of organization rather than just searching for structures that mimic known terrestrial cell biology.