A study led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) discovered clues about alien life on Mars.
According to Mail Online, scientists suggested that alien life could be hiding beneath the ancient icy layers on the Red Planet which may have long acted as a shield for microbial life.
The study published in the journal Nature Communications Earth and Environment found that the thick layer of ice filters out harsh radiation from the Sun and allows enough sunlight to enter for photosynthesis, creating "radiative habitable zones."
Dr Aditya Khuller, who worked as a planetary scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said, “These are called "cryoconite holes" and form when dust and sediment on top of the ice melt into the ice because it is darker than the ice… If we're trying to find life anywhere in the universe today, Martian ice exposures are probably one of the most accessible places we should be looking.”
The lead researcher, Khuller, told Space, that they are not stating that they have found life on Mars, but instead, they believe that dusty Martian ice exposures in the mid-latitudes represent the most easily accessible places to search for Martian life today.
He explained, “The microorganisms typically go dormant in the winter. When there is not enough sunlight to form liquid water within the dusty ice. So, the two key ingredients for photosynthesis can be present within dusty Martian ice in the mid-latitudes. Photosynthesis requires adequate amounts of sunlight and also liquid water to occur.”
Researchers asserted that they do not have any samples of Martian material returned to Earth for detailed analyses and to state anything with full surety.
