“Before Mars lost its atmosphere many say it could have supported life.”
Not only that, but it may indeed have supported life, might even still. We have only (literally) scratched its surface with the probes that we have sent so far. If there is still life on Mars, it seems likely that it might be found in pockets of liquid water under the ice caps, or deep underground (away from the near vacuum of the surface, and the pounding by the sun’s UV rays). And our probes have detected structures in rocks which *may* possibly have been created by living organisms.
Yeah but if it is microscopic it will last a week in the media. Seems they have found some stuff lifelike on meteors like that but for full impact media would want a civilization.