Asteroid craters which 'protect microbes' could be the key to finding life on Mars

Craters from asteroid impacts may be one of the best places to look for life on Mars, a study suggests.

Scientists have found microbes thriving more than a mile under a U.S. crater where a space rock smashed into the Earth 35 million years ago.

They believe craters may provide a refuge protecting bugs from events such as ice ages or global warming.

Drilling beneath crater sites on Mars could potentially uncover similar life forms, say the scientists.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh drilled almost two kilometres (1.24 miles) below one of the biggest asteroid impact craters on Earth at Chesapeake Bay in Virginia.

Samples revealed microbes spread unevenly through the rock. Read More