Signs of Liquid Water Under Martian Surface Boost Possibility of Life

Research published late last year indicated “seismic discontinuities in the Martian crust” that scientists believe could be an indicator of liquid water under the Martian surface, raising the possibility of microbial life persisting on the Red Planet. With an ancient past not dissimilar from Earth’s, and its relative proximity to our own world, Mars has been a compelling venue for astrobiology for decades. The team’s work indicates that liquid water—necessary for life as we know it—may persist under the Martian surface, boosting the notion that microbial life could continue to eke out existence beneath the planet’s arid and rocky topsoil. “If liquid water exists on Mars,” said Ikuo Katayama, a planetary scientist at the Hiroshima University and co-author of the study, in a Geological Society of America release, it could mean “the presence of microbial activity” in the Martian crust. Mars rovers, landers, and orbiters are charged with understanding every aspect of the Red Planet, wit ... Read full article.