If you ’re a animation organism , the Atacama Desert is a passably awful place to be . It is the second driest desert in the world , with the commonwealth compose of rocks , dust , salt lakes , and lava that flows over arid surfaces towards the Andes . If anyone was to be shown a photo of it alongside a photo of the open of Mars , they probably would n’t be capable to say the difference .
However , what was thought to be a relatively exanimate spot may actually host bizarre micro-organism , some of which scientific discipline has never seen before , fit in to a new genetic analysis . The report set up evidence of important life sentence from fragment ofDNAand nine pct of the genetic material come from organisms that are presently unnamed , which the researchers claim to be part of the “ drear microbiome ” .
While some were exclusively new , many of the organisms were still exceedingly strange and difficult to identify .
“ In almost half of the cases , the databases could not clearly say what we had in our hands , ” booster cable researcher Armando Azua - Bustos enunciate to theWashington Post .
So , why were research worker looking for life in a post where there probably is n’t much ? The Atacama Desert does n’t just look like Mars – it also presents the thoroughgoing examination grounds for Mars equipment . The specific web site look at in this study , aptly describe Red Stone , dwell of very similar geologic material toMars , which could make it analogous to the Red Planet .
The instrument used in the study were the same as those that are already on ( or will be on ) landers that will search Mars for extraterrestrial life . So , by combing the desert for life , the researcher could try whether they will key biomarkers and DNA with the same sensitiveness as science laboratory depth psychology .
The results paint a picture that while they did pull off to detect a overplus of sprightliness signatures , the equipment may not be sensitive enough to conclusively say whether there are any markers of ancient spirit in Martian samples . If there are extremely trace amounts of desoxyribonucleic acid remaining at a similar level as the Atacama Desert , the roamer may miss it . To full reassert it , samples must be sent back to Earth for full analysis .
The team hopes that the findings can contribute the NASA and ESA ’s strategy for detecting aliveness on Mars , particularly in any possible fogey samples that could be found . It is not only Mars that may need an altered strategy – if onboard technology can not discover life with sufficient sensitivity , it may to a great extent touch on our search for aliveness on any future habitable planets .
The subject field was published inNature Communications .
