Salt Glaciers Raise the Probability of Life on Mercury, the Planet Closest to the Sun.

2023-12-14 09:00:00

A recent discovery places Mercury among the planets with the greatest possibilities of harboring life in our Solar System

In a surprising discovery, scientists have identified salt glaciers on Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun. This finding, published in the Planetary Science Journal, raises prospects that Mercury, despite its extreme conditions, could be a viable candidate to house forms of life.

The presence of salt glaciers on this intriguing planet suggests that it could provide conditions conducive to the existence of certain life forms. Although Mercury is in an extreme position due to its proximity to the Sun, researchers argue that the presence of these glaciers could offer habitable environments, taking as reference similar situations on Earth.

Alexis Rodríguez, a scientist at the Planetary Science Institute (PSI) and lead author of the research, said: “Earth-specific salt compounds create habitable niches even in some of the harshest environments where they occur, such as the arid Atacama Desert in Chile”.

This discovery not only expands our understanding of the environmental parameters that could support life, but also adds a vital dimension to the exploration of astrobiology. Likewise, its relevance for the possible habitability of exoplanets with characteristics similar to Mercury is highlighted.