The Other Unlifelike Earth

Clues to finding current or past life on Mars now or at some point in the past begins with an examination of Earth's most extreme environments and the adaptable microscopic life that thrives there, according to a group of researchers launched an international broadcast science expedition January 30, 2006 with The JASON Project.

By investigating "unlifelike" places on Earth where conditions would kill most creatures, scientists can determine the kind of energy and nutrients that may be available to microbial life found under similar conditions beneath the surface of Mars. Extreme environments on Earth that serve as Mars analogs -- or models -- include places that reach the outer limits of hot or cold, are arid or have ultra-high or -low pH.