Why is extant Martian life hypothesized to exist almost certainly in subsurface havens?

Answer

The Martian surface is bombarded by intense solar and cosmic radiation that destroys complex organic molecules quickly.

The Martian surface environment is fundamentally hostile to complex biology as we understand it due to the lack of a protective global magnetic field and an extremely thin atmosphere. These conditions allow intense solar and cosmic radiation to relentlessly bombard the surface. This radiation has the effect of rapidly breaking down any complex organic molecules that might serve as the building blocks for life or as direct evidence of it. Therefore, if life did manage to arise billions of years ago and persist to the present day, it would require insulation, making the subsurface the most logical location where radiation shielding is increased and necessary elements like subsurface water ice or liquid brine pockets might survive.

Why is extant Martian life hypothesized to exist almost certainly in subsurface havens?

Related Questions

How did Percival Lowell interpret Giovanni Schiaparelli's observation of *canali*?What non-biological explanation was ultimately settled upon for the positive Labeled Release (LR) results from the Viking landers?What specific geological features suggest Mars historically held liquid water on its surface?Why is extant Martian life hypothesized to exist almost certainly in subsurface havens?Besides biological production, what geological process is cited as a source for Martian methane ($ ext{CH}_4$)?What major shift in the search for Martian life is highlighted by the move from visual sightings to chemical detection?What was the primary goal of the three biological experiments conducted by the Viking landers in 1976?What two crucial factors change for potential life existing beneath the Martian surface?Which two elements define the highest standard of scientific proof currently aimed for in the search for Martian life?What did Lowell's meticulous mapping at Mount Wilson Observatory reportedly reveal about the Martian canals?
HistoryMarsSpaceastronomylife