Team of scientists warn Mars samples may cause deadly 'Mars plague'

Researchers here on Earth are very excited to get their hands-on the new Mars specimens that are being collected by the Perseverance rover.

According to NASA's Director of Planetary Science, Lori Classe, the samples that are collected from Mars should "provide new insights for decades to come as we study them with sophisticated laboratory equipment that cannot be brought to Mars." While this optimism to bring back samples from Mars to Earth is shared by many scientists, a group of researchers are concerned about potentially contaminating Earth's biosphere.

A team of scientists at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICAMSR) has issued a warning against returning any model from Mars back to Earth. Instead, the team suggested that the samples should be taken to the Moon, where any pathogens can be identified without endangering Earth. Carl Sagan, a renowned and famous astronomer, wrote back in 1973, "Mars has a vast potential biological environment, and there are pathogens and organisms on Mars that can cause enormous biological damage if they are carried into the Earth's environment. "A Mars Plague".

For more information on this story, check out this link here.