Habitability of Mars: How Welcoming Are the Surface and Subsurface to Life on the Red Planet?
Mars is a planet of great interest in the search for signatures of past or present life beyond Earth. The years of research, and more advanced instrumentation, have yielded a lot of evidence which may be considered by the scientific community as proof of past or present habitability of Mars. Recent...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-08-01
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| Series: | Geosciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/9/9/361 |
| _version_ | 1819243603272138752 |
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| author | Aleksandra Checinska Sielaff Stephanie A. Smith |
| author_facet | Aleksandra Checinska Sielaff Stephanie A. Smith |
| author_sort | Aleksandra Checinska Sielaff |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mars is a planet of great interest in the search for signatures of past or present life beyond Earth. The years of research, and more advanced instrumentation, have yielded a lot of evidence which may be considered by the scientific community as proof of past or present habitability of Mars. Recent discoveries including seasonal methane releases and a subglacial lake are exciting, yet challenging findings. Concurrently, laboratory and environmental studies on the limits of microbial life in extreme environments on Earth broaden our knowledge of the possibility of Mars habitability. In this review, we aim to: (1) Discuss the characteristics of the Martian surface and subsurface that may be conducive to habitability either in the past or at present; (2) discuss laboratory-based studies on Earth that provide us with discoveries on the limits of life; and (3) summarize the current state of knowledge in terms of direction for future research. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T14:58:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f8c977120ba544c0a437c1cd8089f374 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3263 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T14:58:19Z |
| publishDate | 2019-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geosciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-f8c977120ba544c0a437c1cd8089f3742022-12-21T17:42:42ZengMDPI AGGeosciences2076-32632019-08-019936110.3390/geosciences9090361geosciences9090361Habitability of Mars: How Welcoming Are the Surface and Subsurface to Life on the Red Planet?Aleksandra Checinska Sielaff0Stephanie A. Smith1Youth and Families Program Unit, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99163, USAYouth and Families Program Unit, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99163, USAMars is a planet of great interest in the search for signatures of past or present life beyond Earth. The years of research, and more advanced instrumentation, have yielded a lot of evidence which may be considered by the scientific community as proof of past or present habitability of Mars. Recent discoveries including seasonal methane releases and a subglacial lake are exciting, yet challenging findings. Concurrently, laboratory and environmental studies on the limits of microbial life in extreme environments on Earth broaden our knowledge of the possibility of Mars habitability. In this review, we aim to: (1) Discuss the characteristics of the Martian surface and subsurface that may be conducive to habitability either in the past or at present; (2) discuss laboratory-based studies on Earth that provide us with discoveries on the limits of life; and (3) summarize the current state of knowledge in terms of direction for future research.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/9/9/361Marshabitabilitysurfacesubsurfacewaterorganicsmethanelifemicroorganismslichensbryophytes |
| spellingShingle | Aleksandra Checinska Sielaff Stephanie A. Smith Habitability of Mars: How Welcoming Are the Surface and Subsurface to Life on the Red Planet? Geosciences Mars habitability surface subsurface water organics methane life microorganisms lichens bryophytes |
| title | Habitability of Mars: How Welcoming Are the Surface and Subsurface to Life on the Red Planet? |
| title_full | Habitability of Mars: How Welcoming Are the Surface and Subsurface to Life on the Red Planet? |
| title_fullStr | Habitability of Mars: How Welcoming Are the Surface and Subsurface to Life on the Red Planet? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Habitability of Mars: How Welcoming Are the Surface and Subsurface to Life on the Red Planet? |
| title_short | Habitability of Mars: How Welcoming Are the Surface and Subsurface to Life on the Red Planet? |
| title_sort | habitability of mars how welcoming are the surface and subsurface to life on the red planet |
| topic | Mars habitability surface subsurface water organics methane life microorganisms lichens bryophytes |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/9/9/361 |
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