Alien life possible in ice on Mars, study suggests

A new study published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment proposes a potential haven for life on Mars – subsurface pockets of liquid water beneath dusty ice sheets.
The harsh reality of Mars’ surface, bombarded by ultraviolet radiation and lacking a protective atmosphere, makes it a seemingly inhospitable environment for life as we know it. However, the research team from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) believes these dusty ice patches in the mid-latitudes of Mars could offer the key ingredients for photosynthesis – sunlight and liquid water.
The study, led by Aditya Khuller, utilises computer simulations to demonstrate how dusty Martian ice can melt from within. This meltwater wouldn’t evaporate into the thin Martian atmosphere due to the protective layer of ice above. Crucially, this ice layer would also allow some sunlight to penetrate, creating what the researchers term “radiative habitable zones.”
The depth of these zones depends on the amount of dust present within the ice. Too much dust would block out sunlight, while ice with a very small dust content (between 0.01% and 0.1%) could create a habitable zone at a depth of just a few inches. Less “polluted” ice could potentially support a deeper and wider zone, several metres down.
The theory is bolstered by evidence from Earth – cryoconite holes. These dark, sediment-filled holes found in glaciers create pockets of liquid water beneath the ice surface during summer months, even when the surrounding ice remains frozen. Interestingly, scientists have documented microbial life existing within these cryoconite holes.