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Space & Astronomy

Crater supports evidence for life on Mars

By T.K. Randall
January 21, 2013 · Comment icon 20 comments

Image Credit: NASA
Scientists believe that the components for life have been present on Mars for millions of years.
The revelation has come from new data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Express spacecrafts pertaining to materials present within a large crater on the planet's surface. Rocks and materials thrown up by the impact appear to contain minerals that are believed to have been affected by water, a discovery that suggests life could have existed below the Martian surface.

"'All the ingredients were there for life, but only small single-cell organisms could have survived in those conditions," said study lead author Dr Joseph Michalski. "But I would now be more surprised if there was never any life on Mars, than I would be if we did one day discover that simple life lived in that environment."
Research published in the journal 'Nature Geoscience' suggests that the components required to sustain simple microorganisms could have been present on Mars for much of its history.


Source: Independent | Comments (20)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #11 Posted by Eonwe 12 years ago
Even if there isn't life there now, this is certainly an exciting time to be alive. Who knows what we'll know about Mars 50 years from now?
Comment icon #12 Posted by Abramelin 12 years ago
Don't let the blue fool you those aren't the true colours. It's a false colour image to highlight different rock types. There is no water in that image and it is not a lake now. There hasn't been a lake there for millions of years. I'd like to know how they can be so sure there wasn't any lake for millions of years. Would they know if it was 'only' 100,000 years ago?
Comment icon #13 Posted by Zeta Reticulum 12 years ago
Can you imagine what would happen if signs of life were found on Mars? Omg... We would lose our minds..arguing, debunking, arguing, speculating, arguing.... Yes thats right..... we would all go absolutely mad, a presidential address, religious leaders esposing many ideas and mantras, debunkers, the world would go nuts. Thats why we will never be told.
Comment icon #14 Posted by Abramelin 12 years ago
Yes thats right..... we would all go absolutely mad, a presidential address, religious leaders esposing many ideas and mantras, debunkers, the world would go nuts. Thats why we will never be told. I think that's ridiculous. After a while emotions will settle down, and it will become a simple accepted fact.
Comment icon #15 Posted by OverSword 12 years ago
Does the revelation that mars currently or in the past supports life really surprise anyone? Not me.
Comment icon #16 Posted by OverSword 12 years ago
Even if there isn't life there now, this is certainly an exciting time to be alive. Who knows what we'll know about Mars 50 years from now? Who knows what they really know now?
Comment icon #17 Posted by Eonwe 12 years ago
Who knows what they really know now? In reality? No one.
Comment icon #18 Posted by DONTEATUS 12 years ago
Sounds like a song in the making !
Comment icon #19 Posted by MedicTJ 12 years ago
We have had the technology to determine whether or not there is now, or has been in the past, life on Mars....for the past 50 years. It's laughable when scientists say that with the new space-based telescopes...that they will be able to say for certain that there is life on a planet light years away....but they can't say for certain regarding a planet they've landed on several times? Regardless of what you believe, NASA knows the answer already. It's their funding that fuels the entire thing. If I owned a private space-faring company, I'd milk it for all it was worth to gain your money in supp... [More]
Comment icon #20 Posted by Abramelin 12 years ago
We have had the technology to determine whether or not there is now, or has been in the past, life on Mars....for the past 50 years. It's laughable when scientists say that with the new space-based telescopes...that they will be able to say for certain that there is life on a planet light years away....but they can't say for certain regarding a planet they've landed on several times? Regardless of what you believe, NASA knows the answer already. It's their funding that fuels the entire thing. If I owned a private space-faring company, I'd milk it for all it was worth to gain your money in supp... [More]


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