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Searching for life on Mars is not easy, not only because of its remoteness but also because of the inhospitable conditions of nature.
But there are some places on Earth that can help create an idea of how life could have evolved in the harsh conditions of the red planet, even if not now, at least at some point in its 4.5 billion history. .
Scientists have studied microbes that survive in one of the most poisonous places on Earth – a hot, toxic, acidic lake in a volcanic crater in Costa Rica.
The ways in which these microbes adapt to their fiery environment probably indicate how microbes may have once lived on Mars.
“One of our main discoveries is that inside this extreme volcanic lake, we found several species of microorganisms. We believe they have managed to survive on the shores of the lake when explosions occur. When you have a relatively wide set of genes, this would be really helpful“, Said astrobiologist Justin Wang from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Lake Caliente as it is otherwise known is located in the crater of the active Poás volcano in Costa Rica. It is one of the most dangerous lakes in the world, with a layer of liquid sulfur floating along the bottom and often generating local acid rain and fog.
In addition, the water is full of toxic metals, but still, it is not completely uninhabited as there are species of microbes that manage to live even in acidic environments.
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