Scientists are one step closer to confirming life on Mars.

New research out of the US has examined the salty water below the red planet's surface and has found there's enough oxygen for life.

California Institute of Technology's Dr Vlada Stamenkovic told Tim Dower there's still a lot of mysteries to be solved.

"We are still far, far away from understanding if there was or is life on it but now we are much more excited because those waters might be much more exciting for life."

However, he said the discovery is a crucial step.

"Oxygen is an important ingredient for aerobic life and also oxygen is very important for driving evolution [and ] for enabling more complex forms of life."

LISTEN ABOVE AS VLAD STAMENKOVIC SPEAKS WITH TIM DOWER