Nasa breakthrough as scientists find mysterious hole on Mars that 'could contain life'

Scientists assume the circular crater that surrounds the hole suggests it was created by a meteor im (Image: Nasa)

Scientists have discovered a mysterious hole on Mars they say could potentially "contain life". Nasa said the hole could be hiding pockets which lead to an extensive network of underground tunnels.

These subterranean tunnels could be harbouring alien life as they would be perfect to protect living beings from the harsh conditions on the Red Planet. It has an incredibly hostile environment compared to Earth, with extreme temperatures and surface level radiation that would harm humans. The scientists released an image of the deep pit which is titled "An unusual hole on Mars".

Nasa said: "There are numerous holes pictured in this Swiss cheese-like landscape, with all-but-one of them showing a dusty, dark, Martian terrain beneath evaporating, light, carbon dioxide ice.

"The most unusual hole is on the upper right, spans about 100 meters, and seems to punch through to a lower level."

While it is unclear what caused the hole, scientists believe the circular crater that surrounds it suggests it was created by a meteor impact.

They explained: "Holes such as this are of particular interest because they might be portals to lower levels that extend into expansive underground caves.

"If so, these naturally occurring tunnels are relatively protected from the harsh surface of Mars, making them relatively good candidates to contain Martian life.

"These pits are therefore also prime targets for possible future spacecraft, robots, and even human interplanetary explorers."

Mars has a hostile environment compared to Earth (Image: Getty)

Due to the harsh environment on Mars, Nasa is considering undergound habitation for its future human explorers. Martian caves could provide the only evidence of whether life exists on Mars.

Although Nasa's Mars Global Cave Candidate Catalogue has been keeping track of all the possible caves on Mars, it's hard to distinguish between a cave entrance and a hole without getting boots on the ground. It's also impossible to know how far the caves run below the surface of the planet.