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The water on Mars could contain more oxygen than previously thought. It is theoretically sufficient to support aerobic respiration, suggests a new research questioning traditional beliefs about the livability of the red planet. The new discovery goes against Mars' current and accepted design and its potential for hosting habitable environments.
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NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have calculated that if liquid water existed on Mars, it could – under certain conditions – contain more oxygen than previously thought.
According to the study published in the journal Nature Geoscience, the concentrations could even theoretically exceed the threshold necessary to ensure a simple aerobic life.
Researchers have long rejected the idea of a liquid water on Mars. could be oxygenated, the atmosphere of Mars being about 160 times thinner than that of the Earth and mainly consisting of carbon dioxide.
"Oxygen is an essential element in determining the habitability of an environment, but it is relatively rare on Mars," said Woody Fischer, a Caltech professor
For the study, team has developed a chemical model describing how oxygen dissolves in salt water at temperatures Move the freezing point away from the water. They then examined Mars' global climate and its evolution over the last 20 million years.
"Brackish water will also be rich in calcium and magnesium, which stimulate bones and metabolism," said Vlada Stamenkovic of JPL.
"In addition, about 6.5% of the total area of Martian territory could sustain much higher dissolved oxygen concentrations, thus allowing aerobic oases to meet the respiratory needs of multicellular organisms. more complex such as sponges, "he added.
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The team discovered that at fairly low altitudes (where the atmosphere is thickest) and at low enough temperatures (where gases such as oxygen stay more easily in a liquid solution), an unexpected amount of oxygen could exist in the water – a value several orders of magnitude above the threshold required for aerobic respiration in the Earth 's oceans today. hui.
In addition, the location of these areas has shifted as the tilt of the Mars axis has changed. the last 20 million years. During this period, the solubility in the highest oxygen has occurred over the last five million years.
(with the participation of agencies)
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