Was there life on Mars?
- This question is one of the most important questions about the solar system: Was there life on Mars one day?
If the answer is positive, will we ever find any evidence? We still do not have these answers, but research has provided us with a place of research that could give us many signals.
Instead of navigating mountains and dusty plains, perhaps we should look deep, under the surface of Mars.
According to planetary scientists at Brown University, the disintegration of water molecules in Martian rocks can produce enough chemical energy to save different types of microbes for hundreds of millions of years.
"By relying on physical and chemical calculations we have shown that enough dissolved hydrogen is likely to exist to provide an integrated biological environment in the depths of Mars under energy," said planetary scientist Jesse Tarnas.
The conditions of this life-embracing region will be similar to some of the places on the planet's surface where life thrives beneath its surface.
Some evidence exists in the Martian rocks that indicate that this dry and dusty planet has been containing large quantities of water for a long time, despite the debate over whether this water has flowed on the surface of the planet or beneath it.
In fact, this debate still exists today. What appears to be evidence of the flow of water on Mars is not at all decisive, but there is other evidence that there is too much water flowing under the surface of the planet.
In addition, whether or not water is present on the Red Planet, or still exists, computerized simulations run by the researchers predict the existence of viable environmental conditions on "old" Mars similar to the environment present here on the Earth's surface.
These systems are called microbial ecoregions or "SLIMEs" which consist of groups of microorganisms that live deep in the earth, where darkness is total.
Because they are far from the warmth and light of the sun, which is a catalyst for photosynthesis - the process on which most life on Earth depends - SLIMEs rely on a different process of energy.
This process is called chemical synthesis and relies on the energy stored in the chemical bonds of inorganic compounds such as hydrogen sulphide or hydrogen gas, which is used to produce carbon dioxide.
Conditions on Mars may be less receptive to life.
But the research team pointed out that the radioactive elements in the Martian crust could have led to the radioactive degradation of water molecules, that is, the transformation of these molecules into hydrogen and oxygen when absorbed by the energy-rich rays produced by those elements.
This process can produce enough hydrogen to sustain a mass of energy-hungry Martians.
"We know that the process of radioactive decomposition helps save energy for microbes that live underground, so what Jesse did here is to follow the process of radiation decay on Mars," said planetary scientist Jack Mostard.
To determine the location of radioactive elements such as chlorine and potassium in the Martian crust, the research team began using data from gamma ray detectors on the Mars Odyssey spacecraft of NASA. These data were then used to calculate uranium abundance.
In addition, as the decay rates of these elements are known constants, the research team can calculate their amount in the Earth's crust 4 billion years ago. This decay is the motive behind the radio breakdown of water.
Subsequently, the members of this group had to estimate the amount of water available based on the thermal energy evidence of the Martian marshes.
They found that the groundwater was abundant in the hollow Mars rocks.
Climate modeling allowed them to determine the appropriate location for life so that it would not be freezing cold, or very close to the planet's hot nucleus, which would lead to the boiling of all living organisms.
In the end, they pointed out that the planet contained a habitable zone that extends over the surface of the planet and is several kilometers thick. The process of radioactive disintegration could produce enough hydrogen to support different types of microbes for hundreds of millions of years by providing a range of Climate.
Of course, life does not exist on Mars now, but it helps determine where the Mars rover is going to look for signs of life on Mars, even if billions of years have passed.
"One of the most exciting exploration options is the search for megabreccia blocks," said Tarnas. "Many of these rocks may originate from the depth of these rocks. Habitable zone, which is now fixed on the planet's surface and is often relatively unchanging. "
Evidence of life can be found elsewhere on Mars, which contains what appears to be a reservoir of liquid water beneath the planet's surface, where some microbes can live as they do on Earth, and iron-rich rocks around dry lakes where fossils can be preserved .
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