⠀ #Invisible life thrives even in the driest #places on #Earth. ⠀ ⠀ #Scientists are now using the dormant #microbes of Chile's #Atacama #Desert 🏜 as a living example of potential for life on #Mars. Below the Atacama's hostile surface, resilient microbes have adapted to withstand the harshest conditions: infrequent #rain (0.6 in per year 💦) and extreme UV radiation. The earth here is so salty, it’s like a solid, immovable #ocean. ⠀ ⠀ Scientists speculate it’s possible that these microbial #communities can lay dormant for hundreds or even thousands of years in these conditions. Once rehydrated by the rains, evidence of #ATP (adenosine triphosphate—the essential energy ⚡️ #molecule found in living systems) emerges.⠀ ⠀ In another #hemisphere, in the #southwest deserts of the U.S., the #rocks appear colored in #beautiful shades. These color #formations aren’t a result of wear and tear on the boulders, but rather evidence of ‘desert varnish’, a reddish layer of #clay and iron oxide brought...