Mars holes could unlock discoveries, including Extraterrestrial Life

Scientists have spotted a mysterious hole on Mars where, in theory, ancient alien life could survive. The entrance to this depression is located on the edge of a volcano in the Tharsis region and appears to be a crater approximately 150 feet (46 m) in size.

Researchers say it can protect living beings from radiation and harsh conditions on the Red Planet.

Scientists do not yet know how deep the dungeon found is, but they suggest that it is most likely an underground lava tube formed during the explosion of a volcano.

“We’ve seen more than one of these pits on Mars. They’re very interesting for research because that’s where astronauts can protect themselves from radiation,” Brandon Johnson of Purdue University, who studies impact craters throughout the solar system, tells Business Insider.

Since the atmosphere of Mars is very thin and there is no magnetic field there that would reflect the harmful effects of solar winds, there is a level of radiation dangerous for humans on the surface of the planet.

This poses a serious health problem for astronauts who might land there. The first colonists risked cataracts, heart disease, cancer, and a number of genetic pathologies.

“On the Earth, these lava tubes can be large enough to walk around in, but they can also be small or the voids can be discrete or discontinuous,” Ross Beyer, a planetary scientist with the SETI Institute, told Business Insider. “So these pits we see could open into larger caves, or they could just be isolated pits.”

However, such missions are not planned in the near future.

“The presence of such mines on Mars does not guarantee that there is life there, but it is a good place to look,” Brandon Johnson added.

Recall that lava tubes on Mars and the Moon can accommodate entire cities. The height of such underground tunnels reaches the size of the tallest skyscrapers on Earth.