Scientists have discovered about Mars which can lead to exposure a stranger life.
They discovered a great valley of 1,800 kilometers the northern part of the world that has the right underground environment to support life.
The region – known as Acidalia Planitia – has enough water, heat and energy in its soil for exotic bacteria to thrive.
The next step is to drill down into the Martian surface to see if life has started there.
“(It is) a promising site to use in the future in the search for eternal life on Mars,” the researchers led Andrea Butturini of the University of Barcelona.
But researchers have to dig miles beneath the surface of the Red Planet. This will require huge social and technological projects that may not be possible for years to come.
The research, however, brings scientists one step closer to finding definitive evidence of life beyond Earth zero-in on the environment where microbial life can exist.
In addition, it lays the groundwork for future studies that could resolve the ‘big debate’ about the presence of methane in the Red Planet’s atmosphere.
Alien bacteria may live 2.5 to 5.5 miles below the surface of a Martian crater called Acidalia Planitia, a new study has found.
That’s because alien life forms that researchers believe may be under Acidalia Planitia methanogens, or methane producing bacteria.
Methanogens are extremophiles – bacteria that thrive in extreme environments such as high temperatures, high salinity or high levels of radiation.
On Earth, methanogens are mostly found in swamps and marshes but are also found in the guts of cows, termites and other plants, as well as in dead and decaying material.
These microorganisms are anaerobic, which means they do not need oxygen to live. They can also survive without nutrients or sunlight.
In 2028, the European Space Agency (ESA) is planning launched the Rosalind Franklin rover, formerly known as the ExoMars rover.
This includes a drill that can dig about seven feet into the Martian surface.
But this is not deep enough to reach the depths to which Butturini and his colleagues have become known.
The Martian surface is inhospitable due to extreme temperatures and low pressure that even extremophiles cannot survive.
But below the surface, the radioactive decay of materials such as thorium – a radioactive metal – produces heat and electrical energy. Additionally, water left behind in ancient oceans is buried deep within the Red Planet.
This would allow the bacteria to survive – but probably up to five miles down.
Butturini, a biogeochemist from the University of Barcelona, and his colleagues used data from Mars orbiters to find areas where many people could provide energy to support life.
Methanogens are extremophiles – bacteria that thrive in extreme environments such as high temperatures, high salt water or high levels of radiation.
In 2028, the European Space Agency plans to launch the Rosalind Franklin rover, previously known as the ExoMars rover, which includes drilling.
They then compared this with the distribution of ice previously measured by missions such as the Chinese Zhurong rover.
This research showed that ‘the most affected area is the southern part of Acidalia Planitia in the mid-latitude area,’ which is close to the clay and carbonate region that has signs of groundwater.
At the bottom, temperatures are higher than at the top, about 32 to 50°F.
This means that liquid water can mix with Martian soil. And where there is liquid water, bacterial life can grow.
The findings are now available on the print server arXivwhich means that the research has not been peer-reviewed by other scientists.
But this study is receiving attention from the scientific community, because it provides a real place to look for extraterrestrial life.
“The southern floor of Acdalia Planitia is a likely habitat for cold Methanosarcinaceae and/or Methanomicrobiaceae-like methanogens,” the study reads.
‘In this area, radiogenic heat sources are abundant and groundwater is possible.’
If the researchers’ theory proves to be correct, it will not only lead to the discovery of alien life on Mars, but also provide indirect evidence for the presence of biologically produced methane in the Martian atmosphere.
Observations of methane in the Martian atmosphere have been made have been reported since 1999, but have always been in conflict. These measurements show the variability of methane, which ranges from 5 to 33 parts per volume.
In particular, the difference between the measurements taken by the NASA Curiosity rover and the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter.
When Curiosity has done so discovered methane in the Martian atmosphereThe ExoMars orbiter does not. This has caused a great debate among scientists.
Finding methanogens living on the surface of Mars would be strong evidence that the Red Planet’s atmosphere does, in fact, contain methane produced by microorganisms.
Methanogens produce methane as a byproduct of their metabolism.
Alternatively, atmospheric methane can come from non-natural sources such as volcanic or hydrothermal vents. Or, it wouldn’t exist at all.
Although the dispute could not be resolved, identifying the potential habitats of pathogens on Mars brings scientists closer to understanding the nature of the Red Planet and discovering alien life forms.
