Martian water: are there extant halobacteria on Mars?
On Earth, life exists in all niches where water exists in liquid form for at least a portion of the year. On Mars, any liquid water would have to be a highly concentrated brine solution. It is likely, therefore, that any present-day Martian microorganisms would be similar to terrestrial halophiles. Even if present-day life does not exist on Mars, it is an interesting speculation that ancient bacteria preserved in salt deposits could be retrieved from an era when the climate of Mars was more conducive to life.
Landis
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NASA John Glenn Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135, USA. geoffrey.landis@grc.nasa.gov
D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002980:Climate; D018534:Earth, Planet; D017753:Ecosystem; D005580:Fossils; D006217:Halobacterium / Q000502:physiology*; D019369:Life; D018535:Mars; D009584:Nitrogen; D010788:Photosynthesis; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D014867:Water
D014867:Water; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D009584:Nitrogen