<p>"Our models tell us that if there is water present in the Martian sub-surface, then it could be habitable," said doctoral student Eriita Jones from the Planetary Science Institute of the Australian National University.<br /><br />"We know that there is a hot, deep biosphere on Earth that extends to around five kilometres. If there is a hot deep biosphere on Mars, our modelling shows that it could extend to around 30 kilometres," study co-author Charley Lineweaver added.<br /><br />The same scientists had modelled the earth earlier and identified water that was inhabited and water that was not, the Astrobiology Journal reported.<br /><br />In this research, they applied the same technique to Mars and found that a large fraction of the Martian sub-surface could be harbouring habitable water, according to a university statement.<br /><br />"We found that about three percent of the volume of present-day Mars has the potential to be habitable to terrestrial-like life. This is compared to only about one percent of the volume of the Earth being inhabited," said Lineweaver.<br /><br />"Our conclusion is that the best way to find water - or potentially microbes - on Mars is to dig. Sadly, NASA's Curiosity Rover, which is scheduled to land on Mars in August, has a limited capacity to scratch the surface to 10 or 20 centimetres," he added.</p>
<p>"Our models tell us that if there is water present in the Martian sub-surface, then it could be habitable," said doctoral student Eriita Jones from the Planetary Science Institute of the Australian National University.<br /><br />"We know that there is a hot, deep biosphere on Earth that extends to around five kilometres. If there is a hot deep biosphere on Mars, our modelling shows that it could extend to around 30 kilometres," study co-author Charley Lineweaver added.<br /><br />The same scientists had modelled the earth earlier and identified water that was inhabited and water that was not, the Astrobiology Journal reported.<br /><br />In this research, they applied the same technique to Mars and found that a large fraction of the Martian sub-surface could be harbouring habitable water, according to a university statement.<br /><br />"We found that about three percent of the volume of present-day Mars has the potential to be habitable to terrestrial-like life. This is compared to only about one percent of the volume of the Earth being inhabited," said Lineweaver.<br /><br />"Our conclusion is that the best way to find water - or potentially microbes - on Mars is to dig. Sadly, NASA's Curiosity Rover, which is scheduled to land on Mars in August, has a limited capacity to scratch the surface to 10 or 20 centimetres," he added.</p>