Saltwater discovered in Antarctica supports possibility of life on Mars

Ice sheets
(Image credit: Frances M. Ginter/Getty Images)

Scientists have discovered a saltwater network 1,000 feet below an ice-free region in Antarctica, and its implications are literally out of this world.

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 explains.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.