Search for extraterrestrial life is a never-ending process and scientists have turned their attention to the red planet Mars, and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.
Even though the red planet is dry and changes its temperature dramatically, which is similar to the Atacama Desert in Chile, in 2015 when scientists witnessed a sudden flood in the area, they found a lifeless desert come to life.
The research team then collected the bacteria from the desert and sequenced their DNA. After analyzing they have come to a conclusion that if these microbes can sustain in a desert which is similar to the red planet, then there is a possibility that these creatures can survive on the surface of Mars as well.
Europa, the smallest moon among four Galilean moons orbiting Jupiter, has a very different environment. It has a giant ocean under the icy crust. But according to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, scientists wanted to proceed with an experiment, to determine what is going on under the ice surface with the possibility of life.
Researchers discovered a weird bacteria from the bottom of South African gold mine recently and the microbe survived without receiving the sun's energy but somehow created its own community.
After this finding, they decided to figure out whether the bacteria could survive beneath the Europa's ice crust or not and they found that it would adopt the atmosphere too.
The next experiment includes Saturn's frozen moon called Enceladus. The atmosphere is so extreme over there that it spits hot water and gas out in the space. So it is challenging for scientists to search for a life on Enceladus.
However, according to a new study undertaken by Simon Rittmann from the University of Vienna, there are many conditions on Enceladus that are similar to environments we have found on Earth.
So the research team "tried to reproduce the putative Enceladus-like conditions in the lab and to grow methanogens under these conditions." After the experiment, the results are quite satisfying for those hoping to find an alien life on another plant.
All these experiments might remind you the recent science fiction movie 'Life', where a group of astronauts found a creature from Mars, but somehow the movie ended up with a tragedy. But finding out the existence of life apart from the blue planet is what makes these experiments different and they will definitely help the scientists in distant future.
