Despite being a cold and inhospitable place, Mars may still be capable of supporting microbial life.
Research in to the way that life clings on in some of the Earth's harshest environments such as the frozen wastes of Antarctica has revealed the possibility that something similar might be possible on Mars. While any oceans and rivers that once flowed there have long disappeared, it is thought that liquid water could still potentially exist in small amounts and for limited periods of time on the surface.
"We certainly can't rule out the possibility that it's habitable today," said Alfred McEwen who is the principal investigator for the HiRise camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Images of several sites on Mars suggest that briny water may flow seasonally down steep slopes. If this is true then it could be an ideal place to look for present day microbial life.
"While Mars was likely a more hospitable place in its wetter, warmer past, the Red Planet may still be capable of supporting microbial life today, some scientists say."
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