How to Identify Martians

By eHow Culture & Society Editor

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Of the alien life forms that inhabit our solar system, Martians are by far the most widely seen by humans, making them the easiest to identify. However, there may be several alien races native to Mars, some of whom are indistinguishable from humans.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Step1

Look towards fiction to explain life on Mars. Early accounts of Martians speak of little green men. This popular stereotype has persisted through the years. These Martians are, of course, the easiest to identify.

Step2

Just look in the mirror to see a Martian. Some believe that humans originally inhabited Mars, but traveled to Earth when resources dried up. Some accounts have early humans traveling by comet, hitchhiking aboard other alien ships or using flying saucers that do not operate in Earth's atmosphere. With the discovery of rivers channels and water on Mars, this theory became more conceivable.

Step3

Explore other alien species to understand who may inhabit Mars now or who killed off the Martians. The greys, an alien species known to abduct humans, are believed to live within one of the moons of Mars. They may have also devastated the original inhabitants of Mars.

Step4

Thank H.G. Wells for the common perception of Martians as the invading race. In "The War of the Worlds," Wells wrote of tentacled aliens from Mars who invaded England. The original novel can be found on Amazon.com (see Resources below).

Step5

Expect most Martians, like other aliens from our solar system, to be humanoids. Humans on Earth may be descended from Martians, or perhaps, the inhabitants of this solar system, both past and present, are merely closely related. Either way, it is believed that some Martians may have already assimilated into Earth's cultures.

Tips & Warnings

It is believed that someday Mars will be colonized by humans, making the current inhabitants of Earth future Martians.
Formations on Mars, which many to believe to be unnatural, have fueled the search for life on Mars.
Some stories tell of huge worm-like creatures that live within the crust of Mars. Huge caverns and craters found by the Mars rover support this theory in the eyes of many.
For a long period in literature, Martians were the favorite alien species to attack Earth. Because of this, most alien fiction now avoids Martians except in cases of intended nostalgia for the early 1900s.