Such discoveries would shake humanity to its very core, forcing humanity to reappraise its place in the Universe.

Dr Israelian said: I think we will discover intelligent life in our lifetime.

"At least, we will find clear signatures [evidence of life] that have come from intelligent life.

Its the kind of discovery that will shake humanity."

The 1.6billion unmanned explorer will land on the Martian surface in February 2021.

The rover will then drill into the planet to search for alien microbes in rock and soil samples.

A growing scientific consensus believes Mars had the conditions for tiny microbes to exist billions of years ago.

Many also propose the Red Planet may still host life today.

Dr Israelian thinks NASAs Perseverance has a chance of finding evidence of aliens, though the odds are stacked against it.

He said: Perseverance has a 10 percent chance of finding microbes on Mars.

"This is purely speculative. But it's a good number, really."

Should scientists make the shocking discovery, humanity would be a step closer to colonising the Red Planet.

Some experts, including billionaire and SpaceX boss Elon Musk, believe we could make Mars habitable by changing its atmosphere.

Some suggest we release gases on the dusty planet to create a greenhouse effect, while others including Musk suggest we nuke the planet as part of a process called "terraforming".

The mission would artificially give Mars an atmosphere and help its climate return to the state that [potentially] allowed life to grow there long ago.

Although the idea has been met with heavy criticism, Dr Israelian thinks mankind will likely turn to it when the planets warming climate begins to render our planet inhospitable.

"I think when the time comes people will not care, knowing humanity.

"The moment the going gets tough well have Burger Kings up there."

Dr Israelian is a founder of the Starmus Festival, which combines music and science and is in its ninth year.

He said: It was a result of our never-ending discussions about science and arts.

Link:

Alien life bombshell: Scientist says we will find intelligent life 'within our lifetimes' - Daily Express