Now it is suggested that there could be life on Mercury

As scientists search for traces of life on different planets, one team has suggested that there are salt mountains on Mercury. Could this be a sign of the existence of life?

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Now it is suggested that there could be life on Mercury

Whether there is life beyond Earth has been researched for centuries. Scientists are investigating whether other planets have conditions suitable for living organisms, just like Earth. Researchers searching for the slightest evidence of this have not yet reached a significant finding.

NEW STUDY ON MERCURY

Some planets may have been 'habitable' millions of years ago. However, a new study suggests that salt mountains found on Mercury could be an important indicator.

A team from the Planetary Science Institute has suggested that there are salt mountains on Mercury. According to this, life could potentially be preserved on Mercury, similar to salt-rich habitats on Earth. However, surface temperatures on Mercury, which is very close to the Sun, can rise above 400 degrees. For this reason, it actually seems inhospitable to life at first glance.

The research paper, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Planetary Science Journal, states that behind Mercury's apparent hostility to life, they have found regions where some conditions necessary for life forms to survive are met.

Lead author of the study, Alexis Rodriguez, says, "Specific salt compounds on Earth create habitable niches even in the most extreme environments, such as the arid Atacama Desert in Chile."

The new research focused on regions of Mercury called Raditladi and Borealis Chaos. When the regions were examined, it was found that significant amounts of volatile compounds were preserved in glacier-like structures located underground.

Previously, NASA had sent a spacecraft called Messenger to study Mercury. This spacecraft revealed that volatile compounds such as sodium, potassium, sulfur, and chlorine were present on Mercury.

According to the team, this development regarding Mercury suggests that structures similar to those that host microbial life on Earth may be present in the planet's layers.

News Source: 12punto