Scientists have made a frightening discovery that may soon reveal whether life exists on Mars

Scientists have discovered that exposed ice on Mars can create conditions suitable for photosynthesis, suggesting microbial life may flourish there despite the planet's harsh environment and intense ultraviolet radiation.

New findings reveal the possibility of life on the Red Planet near sub-latitudes, revealing that photosynthetic organisms may be uniquely suited to survival in some of the planet's exposed icy regions.

Unlike Earth, Mars is exposed to more harmful ultraviolet rays because it does not have an ozone layer, which means that processes such as photosynthesis, which plants and some other organisms depend on to produce food with the help of sunlight, would be impossible on its planet. Surface under normal Martian conditions.

However, this may not be the case a short distance beneath some of the red planet's exposed icy surfaces. At least a few centimeters of surface ice on Mars could provide enough radiation protection that photosynthetic organisms might be able to thrive.

Now, researchers suggest that so-called “radioactive habitable zones” could be promising areas to search for evidence of microbial life, as simple organisms may be able to survive in such areas, especially if there are small amounts of liquid water. is there. .

Photosynthesis and ice on Mars

One way Mars is similar to Earth is that it can facilitate deep penetration of solar radiation into the layers beneath its surface. On Earth, this creates subterranean environments with unique conditions for sustainable habitability, especially since these areas are protected from exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays.

Scientists are aware of organisms that can do this It thrives in some areas beneath the surface of the icy ground By relying on photosynthetically active radiation to help generate energy, while maintaining protection from UV rays. In theory, the same could be true for Mars as well, and a likely candidate region for such conditions might be its exposure to mid-latitude ice.

In such areas, sunlight would likely be able to reach the depths required to support photosynthesis. In comparison, the level of UV exposure at the surface would be so intense that no potentially photosynthetic Martian microbes could thrive.

Possibility of life in Martian ice

Now, in a new study by researchers Aditya Khuller, Stephen Warren, Philip Christensen and Gary Clow, the team has performed an analysis of radiative transfer of icy regions on Mars, taking into account different icy conditions and factors such as dust concentration.

Based on their models, mid-latitude regions on Mars have ice that displays very low amounts of dust concentrations, meaning there would be less material that could block sunlight from penetrating them. Under these conditions, sunlight can penetrate up to several metres, increasing the chances of liquid water; This is a possibility that was predicted in previous models of the red planet.

“The results presented here indicate the existence of radioactively habitable zones within exposed mid-latitude ice on Mars at depths ranging from a few centimeters for ice containing 0.01-0.1% dust, and up to a few meters within clean ice,” the team wrote. In his article. Their paper.

With liquid water as an additional factor, these regions could actually provide icy habitats for microbial life forms that rely on photosynthesis to sustain themselves.

Similarities to microbes associated with ice on Earth

A key aspect of the new research involves the basis of these probabilities derived from similar conditions on Earth. In the past, microbial life has been discovered in many seemingly unlikely places, which include harsh, cold, icy environments where most other life forms could never flourish.

An example of this life is cyanobacteria that scientists have found living under transparent ice formations, which survive by capturing sunlight filtered through the ice that protects them from the harsh conditions of their surrounding environment. Based on observations like those recently made by Kholer, Warren, and their team, the mid-latitude regions of the Red Planet appear to represent areas very similar to those on Earth where cyanobacteria and other organisms have been discovered to thrive.

If similar life forms existed on Mars, they could collect nutrients from the surrounding Martian dust in such areas, while being protected from ultraviolet radiation and other dangerous surface conditions, like their cousins ​​on Earth.

“Our analysis shows that despite the higher levels of surface ultraviolet radiation on Mars compared to Earth, it is possible for terrestrial photosynthetic organisms to find locations within exposed ice on Mars with favorable solar radiation conditions,” the team wrote in their paper.

Future explorations of life in ice on Mars

Essentially, the team's new paper suggests that ice cliffs at Mars' mid-latitudes, where melting is expected to occur for a small portion of the Martian year, may be the most accessible locations for future searches that could reveal signs of life.

“If exposure to dusty Martian ice in mid-latitudes melts subsurface for part of the year as numerical models predict, then, as on Earth, microbes such as cyanobacteria could scavenge nutrients from Martian dust mixed with ice and snow,” the authors write. “Use small amounts of melt while you are in a suitable habitat for subsurface radiation.”

Going forward, future missions to Mars involving the use of robotic probes, and eventually manned human missions, could focus on these promising icy exposures, providing a target site for future studies that boast the potential to significantly advance our understanding of Martian habitability. And ultimately whether life exists there.

team New paper“The potential for photosynthesis on Mars within snow and ice” was published in Nature: Earth and Environment Connections On October 17, 2024.

Micah Hanks is editor-in-chief and co-founder of The Debrief. He can be contacted via email at [email protected]. Follow his work in micahhanks.com And on the tenth: @mikahanks.