{"id":790510,"date":"2024-10-20T05:59:04","date_gmt":"2024-10-20T10:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=790510"},"modified":"2024-10-20T05:59:04","modified_gmt":"2024-10-20T10:59:04","slug":"could-microbial-life-on-mars-be-hiding-under-ice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=790510","title":{"rendered":"Could microbial life on Mars be hiding under ice?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_490426\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-490426\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-490426\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">View larger. | Gullies in Terra Sirenum on Mars. Scientists say the white patches are dusty water ice. These kinds of ice deposits could have pools of liquid water underneath them. Enough sunlight could filter through the ice to support possible photosynthetic microbial life on Mars. Image via NASA\/ JPL-Caltech\/ University of Arizona.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Is there life on Mars?<\/strong> We still don\u2019t know for sure.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Microbial life could exist below dusty ice deposits<\/strong>, a new study from NASA said.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pools of liquid water below the ice<\/strong> and sunlight passing through the translucent ice could support photosynthesis and microbial life, similar to what happens on Earth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Microbial life on Mars?<\/h3>\n<p>We don\u2019t know for sure if Mars ever had \u2013 or even still has \u2013 any kind of life. The surface of Mars today is hostile for any form of life, even microbes. Some scientists say microbes could possibly be found underground, where they would be more protected from the harsh conditions on the surface. Now there\u2019s another idea. A new NASA study suggested that beneath ice deposits would be a good place to look for life. The researchers said on October 17, 2024, that meltwater underneath dusty ice could be an ideal home for microbes. There would also still be enough sunlight passing through the translucent ice for photosynthesis to occur.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers published their peer-reviewed findings in <em>Communications Earth &amp; Environment (Nature)<\/em> on October 17, 2024.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Could water ice on the Martian surface hide microscopic life below?<\/p>\n<p>Ecosystems found within Earth\u2019s icy regions are inspiring scientists to ask new questions:  <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oUrYPB9uje\">pic.twitter.com\/oUrYPB9uje<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 NASA Mars (@NASAMars) <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NASAMars\/status\/1847019937770229979?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 17, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Life on Mars? Try looking under ice<\/h3>\n<p>Water is essential for life on Earth. So it makes sense to \u201cfollow the water\u201d on Mars as well. The problem is that water can\u2019t remain on the surface due to the extreme cold and thin atmosphere. At most, there are small amounts of temporary salty brines in the soil. There may be liquid water much deeper down in the crust, but too deep for rovers or future astronauts to reach.<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s another possibility. On Earth, pools of meltwater can exist beneath layers of ice (or on top, since the atmosphere is much thicker). The same could be true for Mars as well. There are plenty of ice deposits, especially at the poles. Dusty ice in particular would be ideal for such meltwater to exist. <\/p>\n<p>Using computer modeling, the researchers found that for some surface ice deposits on Mars, enough sunlight could filter through the translucent ice to support photosynthesis. There should also be some meltwater beneath the ice, similar to Earth.<\/p>\n<p>Lead author Aditya Khuller, at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Ca\u00f1ada Flintridge, California, said:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>If we\u2019re trying to find life anywhere in the universe today, Martian ice exposures are probably one of the most accessible places we should be looking.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_490433\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-490433\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/10\/meltwater-stream-moulin-Athabasca-Glacier-September-14-2015.jpg\" alt=\"Deep layer of ice with large, very deep hole and thin stream of water flowing into the hole.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" class=\"size-full wp-image-490433\" srcset=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/10\/meltwater-stream-moulin-Athabasca-Glacier-September-14-2015.jpg 800w, https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/10\/meltwater-stream-moulin-Athabasca-Glacier-September-14-2015-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/10\/meltwater-stream-moulin-Athabasca-Glacier-September-14-2015-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-490433\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">View larger. | A stream of meltwater runs into a moulin \u2013 a deep vertical round hole \u2013 in Athabasca Glacier, Alberta, Canada. Meltwater can also form beneath ice on Earth and support thriving ecosystems. Image via ImagePerson\/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Dusty ice and photosynthesis<\/h3>\n<p>According to the new study, ice deposits with some dust mixed in would be ideal. The darker dust would absorb more sunlight, helping ice at the bottom of the deposits to melt. This same process happens on Earth as well. On the surface, ice will sublimate directly into gas in the cold, thin atmosphere. But below a layer of ice, it can become liquid.<\/p>\n<p>How does this happen on Earth? As co-author Phil Christensen at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, noted:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>This is a common phenomenon on Earth. Dense snow and ice can melt from the inside out, letting in sunlight that warms it like a greenhouse, rather than melting from the top down.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In earthly ice deposits, particles of dust \u2013 known as cryoconite \u2013 can create holes in ice, called cryoconite holes. The dust particles melt the ice where they land. The holes gets a bit deeper each summer when it\u2019s warmer. When the particles eventually stop sinking into the ice, they form pools of meltwater around them. And indeed, those small pools become thriving ecosystems.<\/p>\n<p>The most likely locations for such dusty ice deposits would be in the Martian \u201ctropics,\u201d between 30 degrees and 60 degrees latitude, in both the northern and southern hemispheres.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the study found enough sunlight could pass through the ice to support photosynthesis as deep as 9 feet (3 meters). Not only would the overlaying ice help keep the water pools liquid, it would also protect any organisms from the deadly radiation on the surface.<\/p>\n<p>With both liquid water and photosynthesis being theoretically possible, these Martian ice deposits would be a good place to search for evidence of current, or past, microbial life.<\/p>\n<h3>Other possible Martian water<\/h3>\n<p>Last August, scientists said there is now evidence for an ocean\u2019s worth of liquid water deep underground in the Martian crust. The water would be 7 to 13 miles (11 to 20 km) below the surface. This is deep enough that, according to the study, temperatures could keep the water liquid. No ice cover needed. But that also means it is inaccessible for study by any rovers or even future astronauts in the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n<p>There is also the tentative discovery of lakes of water beneath the south polar ice cap. That has been a subject of ongoing debate, however.<\/p>\n<p>Bottom line: A new NASA study said microbial life on Mars could exist in pools of liquid water beneath dusty ice deposits, with enough sunlight for photosynthesis.<\/p>\n<p>Source: Potential for photosynthesis on Mars within snow and ice<\/p>\n<p>Via NASA<\/p>\n<p>Read more: Oceans of water on Mars deep underground?<\/p>\n<p>Read more: To find water on Mars, listen to marsquakes<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"cp-load-after-post\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"post-author\">\n<h4>Paul Scott Anderson<\/h4>\n<p>                    View Articles\n                  <\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-tags\">\n<h6 data-udy-fe=\"text_7c58270d\">About the Author:<\/h6>\n<p>Paul Scott Anderson has had a passion for space exploration that began when he was a child when he watched Carl Sagan\u2019s Cosmos. He studied English, writing, art and computer\/publication design in high school and college. He later started his blog The Meridiani Journal in 2005, which was later renamed Planetaria. He also later started the blog Fermi Paradoxica, about the search for life elsewhere in the universe.&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\nWhile interested in all aspects of space exploration, his primary passion is planetary science and SETI. In 2011, he started writing about space on a freelance basis with Universe Today. He has also written for SpaceFlight Insider and AmericaSpace and has also been published in The Mars Quarterly. He also did some supplementary writing for the iOS app Exoplanet.&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\nHe has been writing for EarthSky since 2018, and also assists with proofing and social media.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/life-on-mars-ice-water-dust-photosynthesis\/?rand=772280\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>View larger. | Gullies in Terra Sirenum on Mars. Scientists say the white patches are dusty water ice. These kinds of ice deposits could have pools of liquid water underneath&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":790511,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-790510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth-sky"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/790510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=790510"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/790510\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/790511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=790510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=790510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=790510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}