Microbes were observed living in icy conditions at the pols for the first time by the University of York.
Study lead author Kelly Redeker said: “The fact that we have observed metabolically active bacteria in the most pristine ice and snow is a sign of life proliferating in environments where you wouldn’t expect it to exist.
“This suggests we may be able to broaden our horizons when it comes to thinking about which planets are capable of sustaining life.”
It had previously been thought that bacteria was incapable of living in the permafrosts in the Arctic and Antarctic but this new discovery could mean more planets are capable of supporting life than we thought.
The discovery of this new bacteria living in these extreme conditions could also have an impact on our understanding of the climate, researchers revealed.
Scientists track the history of our atmosphere using tiny bubbles in ice cores to calculate CO2 levels.
These cores can date back 2.7 million years and are vital for climate science, however, calculations have previously been based on the assumption that bacteria is not able to survive in these conditions.
It is now believed that past CO2 levels may have slightly been over-estimated meaning that current levels may be even higher relative to the past.
Mr Redeker said: “As microbial activity and its influence on its local environment has never been taken into account when looking at ice-core gas samples it could provide a moderate source of error in climate history interpretations.
“Respiration by bacteria may have slightly increased levels of CO2 in pockets of air trapped within polar ice caps meaning that before human activity CO2 levels may have been even lower than previously thought.”
The news comes after NASA announced plans to send helicopters to Saturn’s moon Titan in search of alien life.
Scientists recognise Titan as one of the leading contenders to find life elsewhere in the solar system.
Titan is the only celestial body in the solar system, aside from Earth, to be discovered that homes stable bodies of liquid – although its oceans are made up of ethane and methane and not water.
NASA will send a helicopter like probe, dubbed Dragonfly, to Titan to be launched in 2025 and arrive in 2034 to scope out the moon and see if there is evidence of alien life.
The craft will hover the celestial body and occasionally drop down to the surface to collect samples.
Previous discoveries from the space agency have found that Titan is covered in a rich organic chemical which is similar, scientists believe, to the compounds that help build life on Earth.
Titan also homes special molecules which could allow organisms to survive in its -290F (-180C) temperatures.