Abstract The cryptoendolithic microorganisms that live inside rocks in the frigid Ross Desert of Antarctica can serve as a terrestrial model for what may have happened to life forms on Mars when the planet became dry and cold. Trace fossils of microbial rock colonization exist in Antarctica, and similar structures could ave formed on Mars. In some respects, such trace fossils could be an easier target for life-detection systems than fossils of cellular structures.


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    Title :

    The antarctic cold desert and the search for traces of life on Mars


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    Advances in Space Research ; 6 , 12 ; 265-268


    Publication date :

    1987-01-01


    Size :

    4 pages




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English