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The evidence presented by Italian researchers on the presence of liquid water on Mars is "compelling" but does not imply the existence of life, although it increases the chances to find it in the form of micro-organisms "true champions of the resistance."
And, although it is about the possibility that on Mars there are conditions similar to those of the Earth for the formation of the water of life – organic compounds and salts – the climatic characteristics and / or salinity of the red planet are extreme, so if there are micro-organisms, they would be "very peculiar and resistant. "
Also, if there were any, their discovery would become " the most important in the history "of" Humanity " and would have non-significant implications. only in basic science, but also in philosophy or religion.
This was pointed out by the researchers of Efe Víctor Parro and Albe González Fairén, of the Spanish Center for Astrobiology (CAB), which is dedicated to studying the origin, l 39; evolution and the presence of life in the Universe
This is not the first time that the scientific community and the media are talking about water on Mars, but it is the first time that data on liquid and running water are published, not on the redoubts of the past, said Fairén.
For the scientist, the MARSIS radar signal from the European Mars Express probe that discovered "is unmistakable" and "tells us that there is liquid water on the planet."
However, Parro emphasizes, this is not a definitive confirmation, but "convincing evidence" that this underground lake may exist, so we must continue to investigate; both believe that it is an incredible moment in planetary exploration.
According to the data presented and published yesterday in Science, this lake would be under 1.5 kilometers of ice, it would extend about 20 kilometers and it would have a thickness of only one meter, but in addition it would be salty , or it would not be explained that it was liquid water considering the temperatures between -20 and -70 degrees Celsius to which it seems to be.
There is no need to think of a liquid, crystalline lake like those of the Earth. but rather, they both coincide in the brine or quagmire, which does not diminish the importance of discovery, as any interface between rock particles or soil and even tiny water, is an ideal habitat for microorganisms.
"The peculiarity of this work is that it speaks of stable and permanent water" summed up Parro.
With this discovery, they increase the chances of finding life on this planet that, if any, I would have endured extreme temperatures and a huge concentration of salt; On Earth, microorganisms capable of metabolizing and growing up to -20 degrees in brine have been identified and it is not known if this limit can be exceeded.
How would the Martian organisms then be? If they were, they would be "very specialized" Fairen emphasizes, adapted to live under high pressure, at very low temperature and with a lot of salinity.
There is probably no microorganism on Earth that can live like this; they would be micro-organisms that are not here or have not been discovered yet.
If they find it, they say both, many questions would be open, including how they got there. When the planets formed these balls were incandescent and maybe Mars had habitable conditions before Earth because it cooled faster.
If that is the case, with the radical cooling of the planet, the microorganisms could take refuge Another unknown to discover would be if it's an independent life to land – there are theories that argue that there are 3800 million years ago there was a mbadive bombing of meteorites on Mars and that some materials could jump to Earth – or if it is two different genesis.
If that is the last one, there could even be life on more planets, outside our solar system.
However, it's still science fiction, warn both astrobiologists, who point out that at present there is no technology to reach the South Pole of Mars and the depths where these proofs were found, but in other places -tropical and equator – where large patches of ice appeared two meters below the surface and where "small pockets" of Water could be searched.
Fairen pointed out that locating life "would help us find our site in the Universe" and Parro concludes that "would somewhat reduce the pride of humanity, while it would exciting to feel that we are not alone in this fascinating story " EFE
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