Much of our modern Martian mythology is based on Lowell's findings, and he was totally wrong. Nobody knows for sure what trick of the eye caused him to see canals, but the danged things just aren't there, as visiting spacecraft from Earth have verified. More recently, those same spacecraft have photographed a Martian mountain that looks like a human face. Also, microscopic examination of a hunk of Mars that fell to Earth have revealed tiny flecks of dirt that look like fossilized viruses. Lowell's experience suggests the need for a healthy dose of scientific skepticism concerning the red planet.
Humans sometimes seem so lonely.
We so desperately want to find something like ourselves in the universe, and Mars is the closest place to look. That trickster Mars has fooled us before. Careful scientists demand conclusive evidence they draw conclusions. The only way to find out if Mars was ever blessed life is to go there ourselves. Sometimes flecks of dirt just look like fossilized viruses.