Science magazine asked a question: "If humans could live on another planet, what would life be like?" We spoke to three scientists and a student to find out.
Dr Chen, an astrobiologist, begins with a warning. "If humans lived on Mars, they would need to build pressurised domes," she says. "If they walked outside without protection, they would die within minutes. The atmosphere is too thin and the cold is extreme."
Professor Reyes, an engineer, sees problems but also solutions. "If we had a reliable water source on Mars, we would be able to grow food underground," he explains. "If there were enough solar energy, we would not need to bring fuel from Earth at all. The technology exists — the challenge is scale."
Fatima, 17, a science student, thinks about what she would miss. "If I lived on Mars, I would miss the ocean most," she says. "And the sky would look so different. If you looked up, you would see a red sky, not a blue one. That would feel very strange."
Dr Kapoor, a psychologist, focuses on the human mind. "If people lived millions of kilometres from Earth, they would feel very isolated," she warns. "If communities were small, social relationships would become much more intense — both the good ones and the difficult ones."
For now, living on another planet is still a dream. But the scientists agree on one thing: if we did not ask "what if?", we would never make progress.