Final answer:
It is false that Mars could never have had life; research suggests it once had conditions possibly suitable for life, but became uninhabitable due to harsh environmental changes, yet there's potential to find evidence of past life in Martian sediments.
Step-by-step explanation:
Based on extensive research and exploration of Mars, it is false to assert that Mars could never have had any life on its surface. Our study of Mars has uncovered that, billions of years ago, the planet may have had surface conditions similar to Earth, which could have been favorable for the existence of life. However, with shifts in climate and atmospheric composition, Mars lost much of its early atmosphere and surface water, which could have supported life, dried up. These changes led to salty and acidic reservoirs of water, making the surface uninhabitable due to harsh solar radiation. Despite this, there is a possibility that life could have adapted to survive in protected environmental niches, or we might find evidence of past life preserved in the Martian crust, particularly in sedimentary rocks that once held water. Future missions to Mars aim to return samples to Earth for thorough laboratory analyses, which could be pivotal in confirming past life on Mars.