Mars has right ingredients for the present day Microbial life beneath its surface

A new study published in the Astrobiology journal (April 2021) suggests that the Martian sub-surface (below the crust) might be a good place to look for possible present-day life on the Red planet. The study looked at the chemical composition of Martian meteorites that landed on the Earth and was found that these rocks in contact with water would produce enough chemical energy that is required to support microbial life. This is similar to the existence of microbial life in the depth of Earth. In recent decades, scientists have discovered that Earth's depths are home to a vast bloom of life that exists largely separated from the world above. These creatures survive using the byproducts of the chemical reactions produced when rocks come into contact with water.

 

The most important of the chemical reactions is radiolysis, where the radioactive elements within rocks react with water and break these water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen is dissolved in groundwater whereas oxygen gets soaked up with minerals like pyrite etc to form sulphate minerals. These microbes use Hydrogen as fuel and use the oxygen preserved in sulphates to burn the fuel.

 

The project named 'Earth-4D Subsurface Science and Exploration' is supported by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research is looking for similar microbial habitats on Mars and elsewhere in the solar system. The study found that in several different types of Martian meteorites, all the ingredients are present in adequate quantities to support Earth-like habitats.

 

Unlike Earth, Mars lacks tectonic movement that constantly brings out the inner rocks to the surface. Prior research has found evidence of an active groundwater system on Mars in the past. The lead author says, "If we want to think about the possibility of present-day life, the subsurface is going to be where the action is".