— Using decades of Mars data, Australian researchers have evaluated the entire planet for habitability.
— Liquid water cannot exist on Mars' surface for long, meaning life (as we know it) would have a hard time surviving.
— Sub-surface, however, there's better chances for liquid water — and therefore life — to exist.
Australian scientists who modeled conditions on Mars to examine how much of the Red Planet was habitable said that "large regions" could sustain life.
Charley Lineweaver's team, from the Australian National University, compared models of temperature and pressure conditions on Earth with those on Mars to estimate how much of the distant planet was livable for Earth-like organisms.
While just one percent of Earth's volume — from core to upper atmosphere — was occupied by life, Lineweaver said their world-first modeling showed three percent of Mars was habitable, though most of it was underground.
"What we tried to do, simply, was take almost all of the information we could and put it together and say 'is the big picture consistent with there being life on Mars?'," the astrobiologist told AFP on Monday.
"And the simple answer is yes… There are large regions of Mars that are compatible with terrestrial life."
http://www.seeker.com/life-possible-on-large-regions-of-mars-1765560937.html
