Enormous hidden ocean discovered under Mars could contain life

Geophysicists have discovered a gigantic hidden ocean beneath Mars' surface, and they say it could harbor life.

The massive underground reservoir, discovered using seismic data taken by NASA's InSight Lander, contains enough liquid to cover the entire planet with a mile of water. However, it is far too deep to access by any known means. 

Trapped inside a layer of fractured rock 7 to 13 miles (11.5 to 20 kilometers) beneath the Red Planet's outer crust, reaching the water would require a drilling operation that has yet-to-be achieved on Earth. 

But if humans do access it one day, its discoverers say it's a promising place to search for life. The researchers published their findings Aug 12. In the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

"Water is necessary for life as we know it," study co-author Michael Manga, a professor of earth and planetary science at UC Berkeley, said in a statement. "I don't see why [the underground reservoir] is not a habitable environment. It's certainly true on Earth — deep, deep mines host life, the bottom of the ocean hosts life."

"We haven't found any evidence for life on Mars, but at least we have identified a place that should, in principle, be able to sustain life," Manga added.

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