Is there life on Mars and Venus? Despite the popular scoffing at the idea that there may be or was life on Mars and Venus, the people of the early 20th century (early 1900s) openly believed that there were other people on other planets. In fact, they wanted to get in contact with the lifeforms on both Mars and Venus so that we could all be the best of friends.
There Could Only Be Intelligent Life
Professor Lowell openly believed in 1907 that highly intelligent life lived on Mars. After all, the canals proved that the Martians were masters at engineering and mathematics. [1]
Mars is Reaching Out
A Professor Todd told newspapers back in 1909 that he believed that most animal life on Mars was extinct. However, he did believe in a conscious life living on Mars and that the Martians were actively trying to communicate with us mere Earthlings. Unfortunately, our technological resources were extremely limited at that time and Prof. Todd began experimenting with compressed air and Hertzian (radio) waves in the hopes that he could one day communicate with the Martians. [2]
Mars Peopled by One Vast Thinking Vegetable
No, the title above is not sarcasm and it is certainly not a typo. It is the heading for a newspaper article published in 1912.
Apparently, Professor William Wallace Campbell from the Lick Observatory suggested that “all life on Mars has taken a vegetable form.” He claimed that it was the only logical conclusion. The environment on Mars was hostile and water was in short supply. Only hardy, intelligent plant life could live on such a planet. [3]
Messages From Venus
In 1919 and 1920, countries around the world were picking up wireless sounds from outer space. They were not to certain what these messages were or where they were from, but one Smithsonian scientist told people that they were in no way messages from Mars.
He believed, instead, that they were space messages from the planet Venus where, he reasoned, was a stronger likelihood for life similar to ours on Earth. [4]
Unable to Sustain Life Forms
By 1925, scientists were starting to back away from claims of intelligent life on Mars. The possibility of life on Venus was scoffed at entirely.
Instead, scientists were saying that the only forms of life on Mars were lichens and mosses. Nothing else could live on the hostile planet. [5]
