The original text talks about a recent discovery of rock-eating microbes which were found a mile beneath the ocean floor suggested that a similar life could exist in the planet Mars. These microbes can be seen and identified using a compound light microscope. Martin R. Fisk, associated professor at Oregon State University was mentioned in the article to have announced the discovery of the microbes in abundant quantities during a research project in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. When basalt became glossy after being cooled by sea water, traces of tracks and trails appeared where scientists found presence of DNA.

The basic element for life such as carbon, phosphorous and nitrogen were found in those rocks and needed only water which can be supplied by ground water, to complete the formula, under the same condition, microbes (visible under a compound light microscope) could live in any rock planet like Mars, or within a moon in Jupiter, or even in a comet containing ice crystals that becomes warmed up when it passes by the sun. The interior of Mars can be known from the meteorites blasted off that planet. Such elements needed for life were found in them. It was also mentioned that the temperatures that were needed for life is not much of a concern for scientists when the recent studies show evidence of life even in the most forbidding temperatures in some parts of the earth as in the antarctic ice and the deep ocean vents.

Although the surface of Mars is too cold to sustain life, all plants have a gradiant temperature, where it becomes hotter as you go down. Probably in the very near future, as what was implied in the original text, life on Mars may be found. According to Fisk, the evidence of microbial activity found in the glossy outer part of the basalt could be of bacterial origin, or caused by archea, having the same size but of different bacteria as that found in humans and visible under a compound light micrioscope.

A more distant possibility is that the tracks and trails are caused by an undocumented chemical process. Mr. Fisk believes that the outer inch of the glossy basalt may not be the place of microbial activity. The inner structure which cooled more slowly are more tightly bound that microbes find it easier to break down the outlet part which has a looser chemical structure. Fisk said that microbes found in the tracks which are visible under a compound light microscope are either eating the rock or they maybe excreting acids that could be doing that.

Another theory is that these microscopic microbes are seeking some micronutrients in the rock which they need to get some chemical reaction to provide them the energy. Further study is needed in proving this theory using a compound light microscope. It is believed by the researchers that these microscopic microbes were carried beneath the ocean floor and found their way to the basalt but instead of dying, they found some ingredients within they continued to live.

The next step of the research was to extract the microbes in the ocean floor and bring it the ocean surface alive and uncontaminated. While that is very different, it is however, possible if a clean drilling technique can be developed, as mentioned in the original article. Providing stronger evidence that will conclusively prove that there are living organisms down there is the problem at the moment.  Continue research on this page