The search for life on Mars has brought scientists face to face with a new piece of information, that the red planet was likely habitable until quite recently. A new paper presents evidence that Mars was likely teeming with life billions of years ago. Scientists have been trying to find signs of life on the neighbouring planet, and if it did exist, when did it vanish?

Researchers in Harvard's Paleomagnetics Lab in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences worked to understand the "when" part. In their paper published in Nature Communications, they say that Mars' life-enabling magnetic field could have survived until about 3.9 billion years ago. This is hundreds of millions of years more recent as compared with previous estimates of 4.1 billion years.&nbsp;

Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student Sarah Steele led the study and used simulation and computer modelling to estimate the age of the Martian "dynamo", or the global magnetic field produced by convection in the planet's iron core.

Senior author Roger Fu, the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Natural Sciences and his team say that the magnetic field capable of deflecting harmful cosmic rays was around for much more time than current estimates claim.

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The team simulated the cooling and magnetisation cycles of Martian craters which are only weakly magnetic. Scientists believe they formed after the dynamo shut down. They say that these basins initially formed amid hot rock when no other strong magnetic fields were present.&nbsp;

<h2>Magnetic poles flipped and craters were formed</h2>

However, Steele and the team say this early shutdown of the magnetic field isn't necessary for the craters to form. Instead, they say that the craters were formed when the north and south poles switched places in the dynamo of Mars. This is why, they say, these large impact basins only have weak magnetic signals today.&nbsp;

Earth's magnetic poles also flip every few hundred thousand years. "We are basically showing that there may not have ever been a good reason to assume Mars's dynamo shut down early," Steele said.

"We are trying to answer primary, important questions about how everything got to be like it is, even why the entire solar system is the way that it is," Steele said.&nbsp;

"Planetary magnetic fields are our best probe to answer a lot of those questions and one of the only ways we have to learn about the deep interiors and early histories of planets."

The search for life on Mars has brought scientists face to face with a new piece of information, that the red planet was likely habitable until quite recently. A new paper presents evidence that Mars was likely teeming with life billions of years ago.

The search for life on Mars has brought scientists face to face with a new piece of information, that the red planet was likely habitable until quite recently. A new paper presents evidence that Mars was likely teeming with life billions of years ago. Scientists have been trying to find signs of life on the neighbouring planet, and if it did exist, when did it vanish? Researchers in Harvard's Paleomagnetics Lab in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences worked to understand the "when" part. In their paper published in Nature Communications, they say that Mars' life-enabling magnetic field could have survived until about 3.9 billion years ago. This is hundreds of millions of years more recent as compared with previous estimates of 4.1 billion years. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student Sarah Steele led the study and used simulation and computer modelling to estimate the age of the Martian "dynamo", or the global magnetic field produced by convection in the planet's iron core. Senior author Roger Fu, the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Natural Sciences and his team say that the magnetic field capable of deflecting harmful cosmic rays was around for much more time than current estimates claim. Also Read: Is the methane world on Titan hiding secret alien life? Scientists say... The team simulated the cooling and magnetisation cycles of Martian craters which are only weakly magnetic. Scientists believe they formed after the dynamo shut down. They say that these basins initially formed amid hot rock when no other strong magnetic fields were present. Magnetic poles flipped and craters were formed However, Steele and the team say this early shutdown of the magnetic field isn't necessary for the craters to form. Instead, they say that the craters were formed when the north and south poles switched places in the dynamo of Mars. This is why, they say, these large impact basins only have weak magnetic signals today. Earth's magnetic poles also flip every few hundred thousand years. "We are basically showing that there may not have ever been a good reason to assume Mars's dynamo shut down early," Steele said. "We are trying to answer primary, important questions about how everything got to be like it is, even why the entire solar system is the way that it is," Steele said. "Planetary magnetic fields are our best probe to answer a lot of those questions and one of the only ways we have to learn about the deep interiors and early histories of planets."

Life may have flourished on Mars till a few billion years ago

Life on Mars may thrive under the frozen water on the planet's surface, according to a new NASA study. It proposes that microbes could find a potential home under the ice, similar to what has been observed on Earth.

The study authors used computer modelling to show that photosynthesis is possible in shallow pools of meltwater under the surface of the ice based on the amount of sunlight that can shine through it.

On Earth, pools of water within ice have been found to harbour algae, fungi, and microscopic cyanobacteria, and photosynthesis powers all of them.

Lead author of the study, Aditya Khuller of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, says that "Martian ice exposures are probably one of the most accessible places we should be looking" for life in the universe today.

The paper has been published in Communications Earth &amp; Environment.

Mars has two types of ice - frozen water and frozen carbon dioxide. The team studied water ice which formed during a series of Martian ice ages in the past million years. Snow mixed with dust fell onto the surface and later solidified into ice, still carrying specks of dust.

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The researchers say that dust particles are key to explaining how subsurface pools of water could form within ice when exposed to the sun. The darker portions of dust absorb more sunlight which causes the ice to warm up and melt up to a few feet below the surface.

However, several scientists studying Mars do not believe that ice can melt on Mars because of the planet's thin, dry atmosphere. Ice is believed to directly turn into gas on the Martian surface. But this is not likely true for the region below the dusty snowpack or glacier.

<h2>Life can thrive inside&nbsp;pockets of meltwater</h2>

Dust within ice on Earth creates small cavities when windblown dust lands there. They absorb sunlight and melt farther into the ice. Once far enough from the sun's rays, they stop sinking. There is still enough warmth to create a pocket of meltwater around them. These pockets can nourish a thriving ecosystem for simple lifeforms.

"This is a common phenomenon on Earth," said co-author Phil Christensen of Arizona State University in Tempe.

"Dense snow and ice can melt from the inside out, letting in sunlight that warms it like a greenhouse, rather than melting from the top down."

The new paper suggests that on Mars, dusty ice lets in enough light for photosynthesis to occur as deep as nine feet below the surface. The upper layers of ice act as a shield and prevent the shallow subsurface pools of water from evaporating and also protect them from harmful radiation.

This becomes important because Mars lacks a protective magnetic field to shield it from both the sun and radioactive cosmic ray particles.

Life on Mars may thrive under the frozen water on the planet's surface, according to a new NASA study. It proposes that microbes could find a potential home under the ice, similar to what has been observed on Earth.

Life on Mars may thrive under the frozen water on the planet's surface, according to a new NASA study. It proposes that microbes could find a potential home under the ice, similar to what has been observed on Earth. The study authors used computer modelling to show that photosynthesis is possible in shallow pools of meltwater under the surface of the ice based on the amount of sunlight that can shine through it. On Earth, pools of water within ice have been found to harbour algae, fungi, and microscopic cyanobacteria, and photosynthesis powers all of them. Lead author of the study, Aditya Khuller of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, says that "Martian ice exposures are probably one of the most accessible places we should be looking" for life in the universe today. The paper has been published in Communications Earth & Environment. Mars has two types of ice - frozen water and frozen carbon dioxide. The team studied water ice which formed during a series of Martian ice ages in the past million years. Snow mixed with dust fell onto the surface and later solidified into ice, still carrying specks of dust. Also Read: Trip to space for $125K: Space balloon with Richard Branson as co-pilot to launch in 2025 The researchers say that dust particles are key to explaining how subsurface pools of water could form within ice when exposed to the sun. The darker portions of dust absorb more sunlight which causes the ice to warm up and melt up to a few feet below the surface. However, several scientists studying Mars do not believe that ice can melt on Mars because of the planet's thin, dry atmosphere. Ice is believed to directly turn into gas on the Martian surface. But this is not likely true for the region below the dusty snowpack or glacier. Life can thrive inside pockets of meltwater Dust within ice on Earth creates small cavities when windblown dust lands there. They absorb sunlight and melt farther into the ice. Once far enough from the sun's rays, they stop sinking. There is still enough warmth to create a pocket of meltwater around them. These pockets can nourish a thriving ecosystem for simple lifeforms. "This is a common phenomenon on Earth," said co-author Phil Christensen of Arizona State University in Tempe. "Dense snow and ice can melt from the inside out, letting in sunlight that warms it like a greenhouse, rather than melting from the top down." The new paper suggests that on Mars, dusty ice lets in enough light for photosynthesis to occur as deep as nine feet below the surface. The upper layers of ice act as a shield and prevent the shallow subsurface pools of water from evaporating and also protect them from harmful radiation. This becomes important because Mars lacks a protective magnetic field to shield it from both the sun and radioactive cosmic ray particles.

Life might thrive under frozen water on Mars, study says

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Life may have flourished on Mars till a few billion years ago

Life might thrive under frozen water on Mars, study says