Scientists at Brown University (USA) discovered that several billion years ago there were suitable conditions on Mars for the existence of chemosynthetic microorganisms, which receive energy for life through the oxidation of inorganic substances. This is reported by Science Alert.
The researchers analyzed data from the Mars Odyssey orbiter. They determined the content of the radioactive elements thorium and potassium in rocks. Taking into account the half-life of these substances, planetary scientists were able to figure out how much thorium, potassium and uranium were present in the crust four billion years ago. It turned out that there were enough radioactive elements for the radiolysis of water - the splitting of molecules under the influence of ionizing radiation.
Scientists have found that there was a vast area in the Martian crust, potentially suitable for living organisms, its thickness reaches several kilometers. As a result of radiolysis, it could produce enough hydrogen, which is necessary to maintain the subsurface lithotrophic microbial ecosystem (SLiME) for hundreds of millions of years.