in the November issue, details how the team, led by Astronomers at Brown University in Rhode Island, synthesized calculations of radioactivity amount with models of Mars\u2019 geophysical structure. From this, they were able to posit an explanation for the habitability of Mars. Chris Glein, an unaffiliated Astronomer at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, noted how \u201cthis is consistent with the picture that\u2019s emerging within our solar system\u2013most of the most habitable environments are underground.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\nThe methodology involved taking gamma ray measurements from NASA\u2019s Odyssey Rover, launched in 2001. With these measurements, the researchers can quantify the concentrations of radioactive elements like potassium and uranium on Mars. Using a half-life decay model (a process of calculating the decay of radioactive elements over time), they are able to calculate the concentrations of these elements during Mars\u2019s Noachian period. Jesse Tarnas, lead researcher, explains that \u201cwe integrate the results of these [radioactive] elemental concentrations with the latest geophysical models.\u201d With knowledge of the geophysical structure, Tarnas and the team can more accurately understand how radioactive elements fit into the larger picture of the Martian subsurface. <\/span><\/p>\nDuring this period, Mars was rich in liquid water\u2013both above and below the surface. Knowing how much water was something the researchers needed to find out. They looked at models of the Martian subsurface to find cracks and crevasses where water would have been most likely to flow. Also beneath the surface were the aforementioned radioactive elements. Radioactivity has a destructive effect on water, causing it to split into Hydrogen and Oxygen. When you split a compound in this manner, energy is released. In this case, \u201cyou have the energy required for redox reactions,\u201d says Glein, which are key for sustaining life. <\/span><\/p>\nThe team can get even <\/span>more<\/span><\/i> precise with their modeling. Tarnas explains that the team performs \u201cthermodynamic calculations for the amount of dissolved hydrogen that the groundwater can hold at different temperatures and pressures.\u201d From there, the team can pinpoint a smaller-scale subsurface region and calculate its habitability levels. The search for Martian life could be optimized by using this method by targeting the most habitable areas.<\/span><\/p>\nIf there was abundant life below Mars\u2019s surface, how could we find out? Tarnas and Glein both note that a potential way to find evidence of Martian life would be to analyze mega-breccia\u2013pieces of the subsurface that were kicked up by meteor impacts. These are usually located in the centers of craters and could be easily probed by rovers. From mega-breccia, future researchers could search for hard evidence of subsurface life. <\/span><\/p>\nExtraterrestrial life may seem an alien idea, but soon scientists may prove that it\u2019s right below the surface. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Researchers have discovered, using precise computer modeling, that the chemical composition of Mars\u2019s subsurface during the Noachian period was conducive for potential microbial life. The concentrations of water, hydrogen, and various radioactive elements allowed for the area underneath the red planet\u2019s sand to be the perfect home for microorganisms. If the model is accurate,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8020,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cset-2100"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.dev.vanderbilt.edu\/taylormatalon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.dev.vanderbilt.edu\/taylormatalon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.dev.vanderbilt.edu\/taylormatalon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.dev.vanderbilt.edu\/taylormatalon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8020"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.dev.vanderbilt.edu\/taylormatalon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/my.dev.vanderbilt.edu\/taylormatalon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15,"href":"https:\/\/my.dev.vanderbilt.edu\/taylormatalon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14\/revisions\/15"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.dev.vanderbilt.edu\/taylormatalon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.dev.vanderbilt.edu\/taylormatalon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.dev.vanderbilt.edu\/taylormatalon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}