According to the scientists, “the primitive biosphere of the planet had the effect of self-destruction”.
A new climate modeling study suggests that ancient microbes caused climate change on Mars that made the planet less habitable, possibly leading to their extinction.
The article was published in the journal Astronomy of nature.
According to the study, simple microbes that feed on hydrogen and emit methane could have flourished on Mars about 3.7 billion years ago, around the same time that primitive life took hold in Earth’s primeval oceans. But while on Earth the emergence of simple life has gradually created an environment conducive to more complex life forms, on Mars exactly the opposite has happened, according to a team of scientists led by astrobiologist Boris Sotrey of the Institut de Biologie de l ‘ Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS). in Paris.
Sautray and his team performed sophisticated computer simulations that simulated the interaction of what is already known about the ancient atmosphere and lithosphere of Mars with hydrogen-consuming microbes such as those that existed on ancient Earth. The researchers found that while on Earth, the methane produced by these microbes gradually warmed the planet, Mars instead cooled, pushing the microbes deeper and deeper into the Earth’s crust to survive.
“At that time, Mars was relatively humid and relatively warm, between minus 10 and 20 degrees Celsius. On its surface was liquid water in the form of rivers, lakes, and possibly oceans. But her atmosphere was very different from Earth’s, “the scientist said.
Being farther from the Sun than Earth, and therefore naturally colder, Mars needed these greenhouse gases to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout its life. But when these early microbes began consuming hydrogen and producing methane (which acts as a powerful greenhouse gas on Earth), they actually slowed this warming greenhouse effect, gradually making ancient Mars so cold that it became inhospitable.
As the planet cooled, more of its water turned to ice and surface temperatures dropped below minus 60 degrees Celsius, pushing microbes deeper and deeper into the crust, where warmer conditions persisted. Although the microbes may have originally lived comfortably just below the sandy surface of Mars, over the course of a few hundred million years they have been forced to retreat to depths of more than 1km, according to simulations.
Sotray and his team identified three places where traces of these ancient microbes were most likely stored closest to the surface. These locations include Jezero Crater, where NASA’s rover is currently looking for rock specimens that may contain traces of this ancient life, and two low-lying lowlands: the Hellas Plain in the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere and the Plain of Isidis. north of the Martian plain.
Cursor wrote this earlier Astronomers have discovered a unique aurora on Mars. The red planet has a unique aurora, and scientists have just discovered a new one.
Moreover, Perseverance found an alien object on the surface of Mars. A few days ago, NASA’s Perseverance rover sent new photos of Mars to Earth. One of these clearly shows an alien object that is not characteristic of the red planet.
The cursor reported it too The British physicist said when people will be able to move to Mars. British physicist Brian Cox believes Elon Musk was wrong and will not be able to send the first people to Mars as early as 2029. According to him, this will happen 10 years later.
