Today, the surface of the moon is dry, dusty and uninhabitable—but in its distant past, our satellite might have had pools of water on the surface… and alien life.

Dirk Schulze-Makuch.
Schulze-Makuch

In fact, there are two times in the moon’s early history when there could have been life on the surface, says Dirk Schulze-Makuch of Washington State University’s School of the Environment and lead author of newly published research in Astrobiology.

During those periods, there might have been pools of liquid water on the surface—where life could have thrived.

The collaborative research centered on two periods: just after the moon formed from a debris disc four billion years ago, and during a peak in lunar volcanic activity around 3.5 billion years ago.

During both periods, planetary scientists think the moon was spewing out large quantities of superheated volatile gases, including water vapor, from its interior.

“It looks very much like the moon was habitable at this time,” Schulze-Makuch said.

“There could have actually been microbes thriving in water pools on the moon until the surface became dry and dead.”

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