17.05.12

“What we tried to do, simply, was take almost all of the information we could and put it together and say ’is the big picture consistent with there being life on Mars?’,” the astrobiologist told AFP.

“And the simple answer is yes… There are large regions of Mars that are compatible with terrestrial life.”

Where previous studies had taken a “piecemeal” approach by examining particular sites on Mars for signs of life, Lineweaver said his research was a “comprehensive compilation” of the entire planet using decades of data.

Frozen water has been found at the poles on Mars and the ANU study examined how much of the planet could sustain water “that could be habitable by Earth-like standards by Earth-like microbes”.

The low-pressure environment of Mars means water cannot exist as a liquid and will vaporise on the surface, but Lineweaver said the conditions are right underground, where the weight of the soil gives the added pressure required.

Source: National Post