In the United Kingdom, University of York researchers found microbes living in the icy north and south poles for the first time. It was previously thought that bacteria couldn’t live in the Arctic and Antarctic permafrosts, but this discovery is having scientists wonder if life could exist on icy planets and moons, such as Saturn’s moon Titan.
Study lead author Kelly Redeker told the Express, “The fact that we have observed metabolically active bacteria in the most pristine ice and snow is a sign of life proliferating in environments where you wouldn’t expect it to exist. This suggests we may be able to broaden our horizons when it comes to thinking about which planets are capable of sustaining life.”