June 11, 2010
Is there life on Mars? Is it possible for living things that we know on Earth could survive the extreme conditions on Mars? The answer to the first question is that we don’t know if there is life on Mars. So far, we haven’t found any. But the answer to the second question seems to be yes. As reported on Space.com, a new discovery of a form of bacteria on Earth seems to suggest that some of Earth’s living things could possibly survive even in the tough conditions on Mars. Researchers on Earth have found a kind of bacteria in extreme northern Canada that survives in very low temperatures and doesn’t need oxygen to live. Instead of oxygen, these bacteria may use a gas called methane instead. And recent data from Mars suggests that Mars has methane and frozen water on its surface. Lyle White, a microbiologist at Canada’s McGill University, says that "There are places on Mars where the temperature is relatively warm…and…If you have very cold salty water, it could potentially support a microbial community."
The Lost Hammer Spring in Northern Canada may be even more inhospitable than some places on Mars. Yet it hosts microbial life, according to scientists at the Dept. of Microbiology, McGill University, Montreal. photo credit: Thomas Niederberger
Posted by: Seymour Simon
