NASA Study Reveals That Life May Both Live and Bloom If Not Frost Below the Surface of the Red Planet Scientists are very interested in the recent study by NASA because there is a chance that there is life in the Martian ice shelves. The present research brings a new perspective to the search for alien life in forms other than products of carbon chemistry, as there may be microbial organisms in subglacial water environments comparable to those on Earth. Could Mars, the next planet, have information about life? Here’s what we know so far.
Martian Environment Recognizing
Mars has always been an interesting planet of study for scientists since it has similar features to the Earth such as sols that is the Martian day, the polar ice caps, and evidence showing that the planet has been wet at some point in time. Nevertheless, the surface of the Red Planet is nowadays extremely hostile with lows of -80ºF in some parts of the planet and conditions that are close to being uninhabited for life as we know it. But below these frigid layers, according to the study by NASA, lay possibilities of briny and geothermal water to present conditions more suitable for life’s microbes.
In this context, the work of the study is not centered on the desert-like surface structure of Mars but on what direction underneath these ice covers. Like the poles of the earth, Mars also consists of ice formations, especially at its poles. These polar caps are believed to contain immense underlying water FIGURE 1 surface, and NASA discoveries suggest that there may be liquid water under these glaciers maintained by geothermal activity or other forces.
Life Beneath the Ice: Earth as a Reference
The belief by NASA that life might be extant in Mars’ crusts of ice is informed by previous findings of similar conditions on our planet. In the south-polar region of Antarctica, researchers have explained how life continues to exist beneath frozen water in subglacial lakes. Such organisms have alternative sources of energy to that of the sunlight; they derive their power from oxidation of minerals and gases such as methane or hydrogen which is produced from the earth’s crust.
On Mars, a similar environment can be expected where microbes presumably use either geothermal energy or chemical interactions of water with the rock. The ice serves to protect organisms from flamant cosmic radiation and from low temperatures at the surface of the planet. Such an ecosystem is better known as the cryophilic, which is the environment that is best adapted to the cold temperature.
The Role of Subglacial Lakes
Another interesting feature of NASA’s study is the finding that these microorganisms may be found in subglacial lakes on Mars. Inuit Earth subglacial lakes such as Lake Vostok have never been exposed to direct sunlight or atmospheric conditions for the past millions of years. Nevertheless, microorganisms have been detected, and thus same goes for Mars and its likely subglacial water reservoir.
Such sub-ice liquid water has been considered before, but radar data from Martian orbiters has offered more substantial evidence. It was referenced that Mars’ south pole contains a system of sub-glacial water-lined lakes the same way our planet’s poles do.
Future Mars Missions: Searching for Signs of Life
The future Mars missions could be devoted to investigating these areas in search of life as NASA plans to accomplish shortly. The most recent rover, Perseverance, landed in Mars’ Jezero Crater in February 2021 and is gathering samples and characterizing the Martian conditions. But the next missions could be designed towards the Martian poles exclusively where specific equipment designed for this purpose could burrow into the ice caps to study the water and possible living organisms below the frozen layer.
A new mission named Mars Ice Mapper is still on the cards to discover ice-rich regions of the planet and detect areas of the presence of liquid water. The subsequent missions could then drill into such ice sheets to find out whether Martians’ subglacial niches harbor life.
What This Discovery Tells About Search for Life Somewhere Else
If life exists beneath the ice of Mars, it will be one of the biggest discoveries of mankind. It would imply that life is not so rare and could exist in even more unpleasant conditions than at present on the Earth, say, in the middle of polar ice. This would also dramatically affect the hunt for life on other ‘ocean moons’ such as Europa, a moon of Jupiter or Enceladus a moon of Saturn that is also believed to harbor a subglacial ocean.
In addition, the existence of life on Mars will pose problems to communities of scientists in terms of new formulation in the evolution and sustenance of life in the universe. It is because the discovery would prompt people to ask whether life started on the Earth and Mars, or whether life on the two planets emerged separately. That is why the existence of other forms of life will have a great impact on the biological sciences, on the theory of evolution as well as on the possibility of the existence of other organisms on exoplanets, which are remote from us stars.
image credit: nasa.gov
Conclusion
The study carried out by NASA indicates that life may exist in the frozen soil of Mars, which makes such discovery a giant stride in the search for life on other planets. The Martian surface is unfavorable for life, the subglacial water that is present on Mars is possibly the best environment for organisms to live in. With time and more missions aiming at these poles, there could one day be more answers about what lies beneath Mars’ ice; maybe even life.
Even as the scientific community learns more about Mars and as people come up with new ways to explore the red deserts, the chance of discovering life is becoming all the more tantalizing. What was once the realm of science fiction may soon become a reality, unlocking answers to one of humanity’s greatest mysteries: are we alone in the universe?
