2006/10/12 by Joop M. Houtkooper, Dirk Schulze-Makuch · 4 citations
Environmental Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Origins and Evolution of Life #Planetary Science and Exploration #Polar Research and Ecology #physics.bio-ph #physics.chem-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1017/s1473550407003746
8 pages incl. 2 Tables
arxiv created 2006/10/12 · openalex publication_date 2007/04/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Abstract The adaptability of extremophiles on Earth raises the question of what strategies putative life might have used to adapt to the present conditions on Mars. Here, we hypothesize that organisms might utilize a water–hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O–H 2 O 2 ) mixture rather than water as an intracellular liquid. This adaptation would have the particular advantages in the Martian environment of providing a low freezing point, a source of oxygen and hygroscopicity. The findings by the Viking experiments are reinterpreted in light of this hypothesis. Our conclusion is that the hitherto mysterious oxidant in the Martian soil, which evolves oxygen when humidified, might be H 2 O 2 of biological origin. This interpretation has consequences for site selection for future missions to search for life on Mars.