New Study Suggests There Could Have Been Life On The Moon

A new study by astrobiologists from Washington State University and the University of London suggests that the Moon could have supported life during its four billion year lifespan. The paper, published in the scientific journal Astrobiology, explains that when the moon first formed, and around 500 million years later, "simple life-forms" could have developed and thrived on the lunar surface.

The scientists explained that when the Moon was created, the impact and resulting volcanic activity on the surface could have created an atmosphere that would have supported life. 

"If liquid water and a significant atmosphere were present on the early Moon for long periods of time, we think the lunar surface would have been at least transiently habitable," said Dirk Schulze-Makuch, an astrobiologist at Washington State University.

When the volcanic activity on the Moon ceased, the atmosphere dissipated and the Moon became the lifeless rock we know today. Scientists said that it was unlikely that any organisms developed past the single cell stage.

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