Question

chiles atacama desert is one of the driest places on earth. mary beth wilhelm and other astrobiologists search for life, or its remains, in this harsh place because the desert closely mimics the extreme environment on mars. the algae and bacteria found in atacamas driest regions may offer clues about martian life. by studying how these and other microorganisms survive such extreme conditions on earth, wilhelms team hopes to determine whether similar life might have existed on mars and to develop the best tools to look for evidence of it. 5 mark for review which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole? a to contrast the conditions in the atacama desert with those on mars b to explain why many life - forms cannot survive in the atacama desert c to indicate why astrobiologists choose to conduct research in the atacama desert d to describe certain limitations to conducting scientific study in the atacama desert

Explanation:

The passage states that astrobiologists search for life in the Atacama Desert because it mimics Mars' environment. The under - lined sentence explains the motivation behind their research choice.

Answer:

C. To indicate why astrobiologists choose to conduct research in the Atacama Desert