According to a study published last week in Scientific Reports, there is a small possibility that Mercury, our Sun's closest neighbor, has everything it needs to support life.
“It is possible that as long as there was water, temperatures would have been consistent with survival and possibly the rise of life,” study author Jeffrey Kargel of the Institute of Planetary Sciences told The New York Times.
In the publication, the team of scientists suggests that the fractured surface of Mercury is not the result of earthquakes, as follows from the prevailing theory.
Instead, cracks on the surface are most likely caused by volatiles – elements that can quickly transition from one state to another, such as a liquid that turns into a gas that bubbles from below.
Volatiles like water can create a conducive environment for life underground – the surface itself is too hot (up to 450 degrees Celsius during the day).
Confirmation of life on Mercury is not yet possible, but researchers hope.
“The more I dug into geological evidence and the more I thought about the chemistry and physical conditions on Mercury, the more I realized that this idea – well, maybe it’s not entirely sound, but has a right to exist,” Kargel said.
Sources: Photo: NASA
