Reports that the Moon might have had the right conditions in the past to host life have led people to believe that Earth's satellite hosts life.
This was recently fuelled by a paper that was published in the journal Astrobiology titled, "Was There An Early Habitability Window for Earth's Moon?" This was supported by a press release titled, "Researcher sees the possibility of moon life", notes Live Science. While these headlines seem to indicate that there is indeed life on the Moon, further reading into the publication clarifies what the study is actually saying.
The report mentions that the pair of scientists, who wrote the paper, has not actually presented new evidence for life on the Moon. The paper also does not draw any new conclusions. Instead, the paper serves as an argument aimed primarily at other scientists who say that life might have existed on the moon.
To be clear, the scientists clarified that there is absolutely no life on the Moon right now. The Moon is inhospitable in every way. There is "no significant atmosphere, no liquid water on its surface, no magnetosphere to protect its surface from solar wind and cosmic radiation, no polymeric chemistry [to build life]," they wrote.
In addition, the lunar surface is also subject to excessive temperature variations.
The team's main argument stemmed from earlier studies that reportedly came to a conclusion that the conditions on the Moon were not always like they are now. The satellite went through periods of volcanic activity in its early years, right after formation. This began about 4 billion years ago, and it went on to about 3.5 billion years ago.
Scientists speculate that the Moon could have been a bit warmer for a period of a few millennia and could have even been a little more hospitable for life.
There is evidence to suggest that volcanic eruptions could have spewed water vapour into the Moon's atmosphere. Recent evidence points out to how there is a lot more water on the Moon than once believed. That means the atmosphere might have thickened. A young, early Moon could have also had a magnetosphere that deflected stellar radiation.
A thick atmosphere could have even kept temperature variations in check. It is believed that an asteroid might have planted life on the lunar surface -- similar to the Panspermia theory. However, no complex organics have ever been found on the Moon.
The idea that the Moon could have played host to some form of life is mere speculation and based on a healthy amount of informed assumptions. Considering how dangerous the place is, life can't exists on the Moon.
