Scientists at Rutgers University in the United States have found places where alien life could exist on Mars, when liquid water was still present on it. At that time, the Sun was colder and less bright, so the surface of the planet was most likely not suitable for living organisms, reports Science Alert.
According to researchers, even if Mars had a dense atmosphere with a high content of carbon dioxide and water vapor, the climate was not humid and warm enough. However, life could exist underground, supported by the warmth of geothermal sources. This resolves the paradox of the weak young Sun, according to which the presence of liquid water in the early solar system about four billion years ago contradicts the fact that sunlight was 30 percent dimmer.
Climate models predict that 3.7-4.1 billion years ago, surface temperatures on Mars barely reached -0.15 degrees Celsius. However, the researchers determined that the planet’s interior was warm enough for the groundwater to exist in liquid form. Meteor impacts provided additional heat. According to the conclusions of scientists, it is underground reservoirs that can serve as a suitable habitat for living organisms and still exist somewhere below the surface.
.