THE PAPER. “Two mechanisms are proposed through which Galactic cosmic ray-induced secondary particles can be utilized for biological use in subsurface environments: (i) Galactic cosmic rays injecting energy in the environment through particle-induced radiolysis and (ii) organic synthesis from Galactic cosmic rays secondaries interacting with the medium. Laboratory experiments to test these hypotheses are also proposed. Implications of these mechanisms on finding life in the Solar System and elsewhere in the Universe are discussed.”
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2016.0459