Huge rain of meteorites grows the germ of life on Mars

Giant comets and meteors hundreds of kilometers in diameter poured into the surface of Mars 4 billion years ago, creating a premise for life to grow.

According to new research by scientists at the University of Colorado-Boulder (UCB), the US collides between Mars and celestial bodies releasing huge amounts of heat, melting the ice under the planet's surface and transforming climate, making Mars's environment beneficial for life development, at least for a while.

" If life appears on early Mars, this ancient meteor shower is very beneficial. Most people think that meteors destroy life, but the opposite is true of bacterial life forms." CNN quoted Stephen Mojzsis, professor of geoscience at UCB, co-author of the study.

The study was published in early April in Earth and Planetary Science Letters by Mojzsis and Oleg Abramov, a researcher at the US Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Arizona. They used Janus supercomputers at UCB's computer base to create 3D models for research.

A graphic of a crater created by comets or meteors on Mars 4 billion years ago.(Photo: NASA).

Strong collisions create hydrothermal systems in areas, similar to those in Yellowstone National Park, USA, containing bacteria that exist by chemical reactions. They also temporarily increase Mars's atmospheric pressure, warming the planet to enough extent to recreate the water cycle.

Scientists have long known that water once flowed on Mars through evidence from ancient river valleys, deltas and lakes. A few years ago, Mars Curiosity probes discovered methane and other organic matter on the surface of Mars, showing the possibility of past or present life. Researchers do not know whether the material that formed life was born in Mars or because meteor came.

Most of the collision between Mars and meteorites occurred during the period called Late Heavy Bombardment about 3.9 million years ago, when the solar system was developing with comets, meteorites, satellites and planets.

"What really saves the Earth is its ocean . To wipe out life on Earth, the ocean needs to be seething and this is very unlikely. Conditions for life to start on the planet are water. must appear on the surface for tens of millions of years, "said Richard Zurek, scientist who directed the Mars program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, USA.

The US Aeronautics Agency (NASA) is still looking for biological signs of life ever growing on Mars, " There may still be life on Mars. Life does not evolve into an existent organization. on the surface of the planet, but does not rule out the possibility that bacteria work in the Martian crust , " Zurek said.