According to the principal investigator of NASA’s HiRISE high-resolution camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Alfred McEwen, life may exist in the isolated pockets beneath the surface of Mars. The life that may exist would likely be in the form of primitive microorganisms, such as bacteria, but it would still be proof of life on another planet outside of our own, according to CNN.
McEwen stated, “Life subsists deep underground on Earth, and on Mars, if you go a kilometer deep, there are surely still pockets of water.”
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He continued by stating: “Given the complexity of planetary crusts, the evidence for geologically recent water raised to the surface, and the geothermal gradient that should be warm enough for water, if life ever existed on Mars, why wouldn’t it persist in at least isolated pockets underground? That’s what I think is likely to exist on Mars in terms of life today. I still don’t think it’s habitable right at [the] surface, given the radiation and that the water is transient and very salty.”
McEwen has been studying the surface of Mars for the last five years, and was also part of the team that determined the presence of liquid water on the planet in 2015. The team discovered the “unique and mysterious seasonally dark streaks on Martian slopes, referred to as Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL), that helped to confirm the presence of water in the form of hydrated salts on Mars.”
Lead study author Matt Chojnacki stated: “McEwen and [Lujendra] Ojha have shocked the world with revelations from HiRISE about RSL and the evidence for flowing water on Mars. Five years in, we’ve made strides and answered questions, but now we have so many more. We’re excited to continue looking for more topographic changes and model them to find out what’s causing these RSL.”
To keep up with the NASA HiRISE team and updates on Mars, follow HiRISE (NASA) on Twitter.
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