Downside might be that it's too far down for us to drill to.
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Mars, Europa, Ganymede.... no doubt in my mind they all have life.
Not sure about all of them, but it would definitely not be a shock to me if we discovered microbial life within our solar system. The idea that even microscopic life didn't evolve over the course of billions of years seems unlikely to me.
Will we ever find something larger, the size of an animal within our solar system? That would be pretty crazy.
Not sure about all of them, but it would definitely not be a shock to me if we discovered microbial life within our solar system. The idea that even microscopic life didn't evolve over the course of billions of years seems unlikely to me.
Will we ever find something larger, the size of an animal within our solar system? That would be pretty crazy.
It seems to me that anything that has water and some form of heat driven chemical process should harbour at least some form of life.
The moons of Jupiter specifically intrigue me because, while far from the sun, the pull between it and Jupiter create active cores that are interacting with vast liquid oceans. I can't see how there's not life there.
I would actually be very stunned to not find at least evidence of life at some point on Mars like fossils or the like. But with enough subsurface water to cover the planet in 2KM of water...it's possible that anything that lived on the surface at any point could now be living underground. Although my understanding is Mars' core is dead so there's nothing heating the inner part of the planet. Also, if there's any tech human's can definitely do its drill. With confirmation now of the water, I'd love to see-planning started on how to get to it. There's no reason why a remote operated drill can't be sent there. No need to wait for manned missions.
Planetary geology and formation is super interesting stuff.
It seems to me that anything that has water and some form of heat driven chemical process should harbour at least some form of life.
The moons of Jupiter specifically intrigue me because, while far from the sun, the pull between it and Jupiter create active cores that are interacting with vast liquid oceans. I can't see how there's not life there.
I would actually be very stunned to not find at least evidence of life at some point on Mars like fossils or the like. But with enough subsurface water to cover the planet in 2KM of water...it's possible that anything that lived on the surface at any point could now be living underground. Although my understanding is Mars' core is dead so there's nothing heating the inner part of the planet. Also, if there's any tech human's can definitely do its drill. With confirmation now of the water, I'd love to see-planning started on how to get to it. There's no reason why a remote operated drill can't be sent there. No need to wait for manned missions.
Planetary geology and formation is super interesting stuff.
Anywhere where you have lots of chemical reactions happening and conditions that would allow for the construction of larger molecules seems like an environment that would give rise to life, given enough time. I don't have enough knowledge of chemistry to say this definitively, but I would assume you could find conditions lacking water where life could arise, assuming another equivalent solvent.
I don’t think it’s a given that water, energy, and chemical processes are bound to create life. We have lots of that on Earth and it is not like it happens all the time here. As far as we know, over billions of years, abiogenesis only happened once here.
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I don’t think it’s a given that water, energy, and chemical processes are bound to create life. We have lots of that on Earth and it is not like it happens all the time here. As far as we know, over billions of years, abiogenesis only happened once here.
If life were to happen it probably wouldn't survive very long, as the existing life would take it out. For example, you wouldn't have a large stew of amino acids and carbohydrates without existing life consuming it.
In order for life to involve a second time, it would have to happen in a sterile environment that is also conducive to life evolving.
There also is some ongoing research to show that life may have evolved more than once on Earth. Most life is microbial, and we have a very poor knowledge of that life. We haven't sampled and then molecularly examined every microbe from every nook and cranny. In fact, we've likely only examined a very small fraction and largely from the most common of places. Secondly, the Earth's environment of lots of nitrogen, water, and carbon may lead to a co-evolution scenario, where life evolves to becomes relatively similar, consisting of DNA, proteins, carbohydrates, etc...
There's also some suggestion that viruses may have evolved independently of the main branch of life.
"From a sustainable ancient artesian aquifer on the planet Mars to more than 60 countries across the globe, MARS WATER has been bringing Mars' Finest Water to the world since 2047. Along the way, its philanthropic efforts have focused on improving the lives of the microbes of Mars, and protecting the unique place they call home."
If life were to happen it probably wouldn't survive very long, as the existing life would take it out. For example, you wouldn't have a large stew of amino acids and carbohydrates without existing life consuming it.
In order for life to involve a second time, it would have to happen in a sterile environment that is also conducive to life evolving.
There also is some ongoing research to show that life may have evolved more than once on Earth. Most life is microbial, and we have a very poor knowledge of that life. We haven't sampled and then molecularly examined every microbe from every nook and cranny. In fact, we've likely only examined a very small fraction and largely from the most common of places.
Let alone that 75% of this planet is water, and we can't even find something as large as a jet liner that falls into it. So much of earth is unexplored, let alone the life that exists there.
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If life were to happen it probably wouldn't survive very long, as the existing life would take it out. For example, you wouldn't have a large stew of amino acids and carbohydrates without existing life consuming it.
In order for life to involve a second time, it would have to happen in a sterile environment that is also conducive to life evolving.
There also is some ongoing research to show that life may have evolved more than once on Earth. Most life is microbial, and we have a very poor knowledge of that life. We haven't sampled and then molecularly examined every microbe from every nook and cranny. In fact, we've likely only examined a very small fraction and largely from the most common of places. Secondly, the Earth's environment of lots of nitrogen, water, and carbon may lead to a co-evolution scenario, where life evolves to becomes relatively similar, consisting of DNA, proteins, carbohydrates, etc...
There's also some suggestion that viruses may have evolved independently of the main branch of life.
It's only theoretically possible, but not scientifically proven. We only have evidence that it happened once. Scientists have never been able to recreate it or completely understand the circumstances that cause abiogenesis. At the very least, we know that the process is very rare and not something that happens easily.
The conditions that allowed it to happen on Earth also aren't the same conditions that exist today. 3.5-4 billion years ago when it is believed to have happened, the Earth had a dense methane, water vapour, and ammonia atmosphere. The planet was getting bombarded and the system had a lot more energy at the surface. There were polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in vast amounts. It could very well be these things that kicked off the process, and not just the existence of liquid water.
Having said that, maybe Mars had a similar eon in it's early days.
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New Study: Liquid Water Under Surface of Mars
