Mice could live on Mars.
Mice could cope with life on Mars
Scientists have found the rodents living in the extremely harsh environment at the summit of volcanoes in the Andes and claim that it is proof that the animals could survive on the Red Planet.
The peaks in the Atacama desert plateau of Chile and Argentina are described as the "closest thing on Earth" to Mars because of the super-dry atmosphere and freezing temperatures.
Professor Jay Storz and climber Mario Perez Mamani first found a live mouse in the desert in 2020 and have gone on to discover 13 more since.
Professor Storz, of the University of Nebraska, said: "The most surprising thing about our discovery is that mammals could be living on the summits of volcanoes in such an inhospitable, Mars-like environment."
He added: "It just boggles the mind that any kind of animal could be surviving and functioning in that environment."