Mars Has More Room for Life Than Earth [STUDY]

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Granted, much of that room is in caves just below the planet's surface, and much of that life will likely be microbes rather than little green men. But here's the kicker -- fully 3% of Mars has the right conditions to support life, the researchers say.

That may not sound like much, until you consider two things. Firstly, we're talking about a percentage of the entire planet, from the core to the crust. And secondly, if you run the same numbers on Earth, just 1% of the planet's volume can support life.

So Mars beats Earth in the living room stakes? It sounds crazy, but it's true. "There are large regions of Mars that are compatible with terrestrial life," study leader Charley Lineweaver told the AFP. "If you're interested in the origin of life and how likely life is to get started on other planets, that's what relevant here."

Mars' surface is too cold (a biting minus 81 degrees Fahrenheit) and too low-pressure to support liquid water, the top prerequisite for life as we know it. But Lineweaver's study, published in the journal Astrobiology, looked at geological data from decades of Mars missions -- and concluded that it would be warm and pressurized enough for life to live just below the surface. Warmth from the planet's core provides the heat, and soil packed in from above creates the necessary air pressure.