Researchers Discover Saltwater Network In Antartica And It's Related To Life On Mars

Researchers have discovered a saltwater network 1,000 feet below an ice-free region in Antartica, and interestingly it provides hope for life on Mars (gasp!).

If life-supporting aquifers can exist in Antarctica, there's a good possibility that they could exist on Mars, too. Antarctica is the region of Earth most similar to Mars, and the McMurdo Dry Valleys, where the saltwater was found, are some of Earth's coldest, driest environments, The Verge explained, citing a new study.

The study noted that the find is significant, because the saltwater was found at a temperature that could support microbial life. Researchers used an electromagnetic sensor to find Antarctica's saltwater brines, and they found that beneath frozen surfaces, Antarctica has a system of interconnected, unfrozen aquifers. According to them, the saltwater aquifers could be the byproducts of ancient ocean deposits or an evaporated lake.

"[Before this study], we didn't know to what extent life could exist beneath the glaciers, beneath hundreds of meters of ice, beneath ice covered lakes and deep into the soil," said Ross Virginia, an ecosystem environmentalist at Dartmouth College.

"Fundamentally this type of work just tells us more about ourselves." "We need to understand Earth, to understand Mars."

The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.