Life on Mars can only exist 'far beneath the surface', scientists say
Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Mars is almost devoid of surface water with areas that are drier than the driest deserts on Earth – so any life would have to be “far below the surface” to survive, scientists have said. For life to exist in the areas we investigated, it would need to find pockets far beneath the surface, located away from the dryness and radiation present on the ground.” Mars was once very different. “Evidence shows that more than three billion years ago Mars was wet and habitable,” Dr Schröder said.





















Discover Related

Was Mars once home to oceans and 'vacation-style' sandy beaches?

Evidence of beaches from ancient Martian ocean detected by Chinese rover

Alien life might have flourished in ‘vacation-style beaches’ on Mars, scientists say

Ancient Earth-like beach discovered on Mars. It is buried beneath the surface

Alien life might have flourished in ‘vacation-style beaches’ on Mars, scientists say

Mars could have had ancient groundwater system, study reveals big secret

Scientists give message to anyone hoping for aliens on Venus: give up

Indian scientists discover Martian lake that could have supported life

Evidence of hot water that’s essential to life points to Mars’ habitable past

NASA's Viking 1 lander may have killed life on Mars, claims scientist

Did NASA’s Viking ‘kill life’ on Mars? Expert says, ‘It was so much like Earth…’

Dead Chinese rover confirms ancient ocean once flowed on Mars

Scientists discover a 'smiley face' on Mars - and it could contain signs of life

The Earth's deepest living organisms may hold clues to alien life on Mars

An ocean’s worth of water may be hiding under Mars’ red dusty surface, study suggests

Would a hidden ocean on Mars spur human settlement?

New study suggests ocean of water lies beneath Mars’s surface

Was there life on Mars? Rock found by Nasa rover shows similarities with earth

New study reveals the icy, cold climate of Mars' past, with implications for life

Mars rover data confirms ancient lake sediments on red planet

Were seasonal climate patterns possible on early Mars?

Science This Week | China’s rover finds signs of recent water on Mars

China’s Mars rover finds signs of recent water in sand dunes

The surface and crust of Mars may be more complex than scientists once thought

Scientists find nine ‘most liveable’ Martian caves for future astronauts to live in

Martian microbes could survive for millions of years underground, scientists say

Mars may have been teeming with life until it underwent climate change, study suggests

Underground microbes may have swarmed ancient Mars

Underground microbes may have swarmed ancient Mars, scientists say
