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If living organisms existed on the red planet, they must have inhabited subglacial lakes when their surface was covered with ice, and subsequently underground.
The most appropriate zone for life on Mars may be several kilometers below its surface, say the authors of a study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.
The hypothesis is related to the call paradox of the young and weak sun. Astrophysics has established that 4,000 million years ago the brightness of our star was 30% lower than it is today. Under such conditions, not only Mars but also the Earth would have been covered by permanent ice, and yet on both planets there is evidence of the existence of liquid water at that time.
To resolve the contradiction between geological data and climate models, the researchers speculated that this was the case between 4,100 and 3,700 million years the red planet was covered with a layer of ice several kilometers thick, under which it existed lagos subglaciales. As in many places on Earth, liquid water may have existed on Mars thanks to geothermal heat from the bowels of the planet, scientists say.
Unlike Earth, which has a larger mass and magnetic field, conditions on Mars did not favor the retention of the atmosphere, so much so that surface water was destined to evaporate and disappear into space. As a result, liquid water could only have been stored at considerable depths. And that’s where it is possible to search for Martian life, the study authors suggest.
“If it ever originated lifetime on Mars then it may have followed the water table at progressively deeper depths, where stable liquid water may persist […] At those depths, life could have been supported by hydrothermal activity and water-rock reactions […] reminiscent of ecosystems that exist kilometers deep on Earth “, they conclude.
Regarding the depth of the Martian aquifer, the researchers adhere to previous estimates, which place it at approximately 8.5 kilometers.
In a comment cited by Rutgers University, the lead author of the work, Lujendra Ojha, stressed the importance of his hypothesis for the study of the red planet: “The subsoil may represent the longest living environment on Mars“.
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