But signs of this life in the solar system may be harder to find than previously thought.

Any relics left over on the surface of the planet are likely to have been wiped out by powerful space radiation, according to new research.

Our neighbouring planet Mars could have been covered in vast salty oceans (artist’s impression pictured) that would have been ideal for life to form. According to a new study, the signs of this life might be more difficult to find than previously thought, because of the harmful effects of space radiation

Mars is considered two of the most likely places for signs of past life to be found in our solar system because it is the planet that most closely resembles our own.

The red planet once hosted vast oceans on its surface, which is considered one of the most vital properties necessary for life to thrive.

But new research is suggesting signs of this life might more difficult to find, because they could be destroyed by the harsh radiation in space more quickly than previously thought.

Amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, are one of the signs researchers are hoping to find.

Previous research suggested amino acids could survive for up to 1 billion years under Martian conditions.

But Dr Alexander Pavlov, space scientist at Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, and colleagues conducted new research and found the majority of amino acids were likely to be destroyed in 20 million years.

The ‘search for the extinct life on Mars is based on the assumption that some original complex organic molecules would be able to survive for hundreds of millions – billions of years in the ancient Martian outcrops’ according to the study.

‘More than 80 percent of the amino acids are destroyed for dosages of 1 megagray, which is equivalent to 20 million years,’ Dr Pavlov said during a presentation at a conference, according to Live Science.

‘If we’re going for ancient biomarkers, that’s a very big problem.’

Mars’ ocean is thought to have existed around 3.4 billion years ago, when life was first starting to form on our own planet.

But Dr Pavlov’s team mixed the amino acids with rocky material similar to that found on Mars, and found all the amino acids were degraded by radiation in as few as 50 million years.

This means Mars rovers would have to dig deeper to find amino acids that might have been shielded from the radiation.

‘We are extremely unlikely to find primitive amino acid molecules in the top 1 metre [3.3 feet] [of the crust], due to cosmic rays,’ Dr Pavlov said. ‘It would be critical to provide missions with 2-metre [6.6 feet] drilling capabilities, or chose landing sights with freshly exposed rocks.’

A separate study focusing on Jupiter’s moon Europa also concluded the surface of the moon is an unlikely place for signs of life to survive.

Simulating the conditions on Europa’s surface, the researchers found the moon’s radiation dosages were comparable to those on Mars.

‘Radiation is going to play a major role at Europa in the top few meters — actually, dare I say, dozen meters — of Europa’s surface,’ said Luis Teodoro, a planetary scientist at Nasa’s Ames Research Center in California, speaking at the same conference.

He said his simulations suggest microbes found in some of Earth’s harshest environments would survive no more than 150,000 years in the top 3.3 feet (1 m) of Europa’s icy crust.

Organic biomarkers buried within 3.3 feet  (1 metre) of the surface would last only 1 to 2 million years, he said.

‘If we want to put a lander on the surface of Europa to check if life is there, we most likely are going to see something destroyed — mangled materials, mainly organics — from this huge dosage of radiation,’ he said.

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