By Aazam
October 16, 2022
New research suggests ancient microbial life on Mars may have caused climate change, leading to its demise
Climate models simulated hydrogen-consuming, methane-producing bacteria on Mars 3.7 billion years ago
The model proposes that the gas compositions and relative distances of Earth and Mars explain why life evolved on Earth but died on Mars
Mars relied on a heat-trapping fog of carbon dioxide and hydrogen to support life
Ancient Martian bacteria ate hydrogen and created methane, consuming their planet's heat-trapping blanket and rendering Mars too cold for complex life
Traces of methane have been identified in Mars' scant atmosphere by satellites and NASA's Curiosity rover, which could be evidence that bacteria still exist
The scientists believe their findings show that life may not be self-sustaining in every favorable setting, and that it can quickly wipe itself out by destroying its own underpinnings
Boris Sauterey, an astrobiologiste à Paris' Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, led the investigation