Many people are vexed by the Phobos monolith. It has inspired all manner of alien-based conspiracy theories and this fascinating discussion on Reddit. It even gave its name to an album released this year by Les Claypool and Sean Lennon Ono. So what is it? Image: Mars Global Surveyor/Nasa
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They are, perhaps, the world’s deepest architects. Microbes living beneath the sea floor near methane seeps construct extensive rocky deposits – and then live inside them. The organisms may be representatives of a distinct lifestyle that could be well-suited to conditions on harsh, alien worlds. Image: dimsis
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Water covers around 70 per cent of our planet’s surface. It makes up 60 per cent of our body weight. Without a supply of the stuff, very few living things can survive for long. But, perhaps surprisingly, water is bad news for life. Was it conspicuously absent at the dawn of life on Earth? Image: szeke
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