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Comment by keiru | Hacker News Reader

The dreadful consequence of finding life on Mars would be that we could never go back to seeing Mars as just another innocent rock floating around the neighbourhood.

It would forever become a harbinger, reminder that life can come and go on any planet.

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Curious why that would be "dreadful" and I thought most assumed there is most likely water and life on mars (microbial that is), but just under the surface and with the unimaginable number of planets assuming we are the only planet with life would probably be similar to the early thinking the sun resolves around the earth.

Dreadful, if you take the Dark Forest theory to heart (see Liu Cixin's second book in the Three Body Problem trilogy).

1) it would be a visceral demonstration of the fragility of life on Earth

2) overnight, it would shift our estimate of the likelihood of life forming into "terrifyingly likely". Terrifying, because if life forms on any planet even roughly like Earth, the idea of aliens showing up one day and killing us all is suddenly horribly plausible.

Although, life on Mars could have a common origin with life on earth. There are after all meteorites on Earth that are believed to be of Martian origin. If microbes from Mars seeded Earth or vice versa, then finding life in both places doesn't mean the odds of it arising are higher than we thought.

In any case, what I said stands for the relatively more likely scenario of "signs of past life now gone"

One "dreadful"consequence could be quarantine lest we violate the prime directive

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