Moon May Have Hosted Alien Life Billions of Years Ago, According to Recent Study

In a groundbreaking study published in the journal Astrobiology in 2017, astrobiologists Dirk Schulze-Makuch from Washington State University and Joop M. Houtkooper have proposed that the Moon's surface may have been capable of supporting simple lifeforms approximately 4 billion years ago.

The focus of the study was on two specific periods in the Moon's history, both occurring around 4 billion and 3.5 billion years ago. The researchers based their findings on the analysis of lunar material, including rocks and soil.

According to the study, the early Moon may have been spewing out superheated gases from its interior, including water vapor. This suggests that pools of liquid water could have formed on the Moon's surface. The same report also indicates that there was a period of potential habitability around 3.5 billion years ago, during a peak in lunar volcanic activity.

The study further indicates that the Moon was likely protected by a magnetic field during these periods, which could have shielded any potential life forms from deadly solar winds. This magnetic field would have been generated by the Moon's molten core, which is believed to have cooled and solidified over time.

One intriguing aspect of the study is the possibility that meteorites blasted off the surface of the Earth and landed on the Moon, potentially carrying Earth's first lifeforms. If these microbes survived the journey and landed on the Moon's surface, they could have lived off of pools of water that were present.

The study does not focus on the details of the Apollo 11 mission or the topic of the Moon landing being faked. It also emphasizes that there is still no direct evidence that extraterrestrial life existed on the Moon during these periods.

Future missions could provide evidence of water or life on the Moon by sampling areas of the Moon that date back to its peak of volcanic activity. The discovery of hundreds of millions of metric tons of ice on the Moon during a space mission in 2010 adds to the excitement of these potential findings.

In a statement, Dirk Schulze-Makuch said, "If liquid water and a significant atmosphere were present on the early Moon for extended periods, the lunar surface would have been at least transiently habitable." He further stated that the Moon was potentially habitable during certain periods in its history, and that the research suggests the early Moon might have had conditions suitable for simple lifeforms.

This study opens up a new avenue of research into the possibility of extraterrestrial life and the potential for transient habitability on other celestial bodies. As we continue to explore the cosmos, the question of whether we are alone in the universe remains a fascinating and exciting one.