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mars earth space planets

Scientists Think They've Discovered First Signs Of Life On Mars

Life on Earth can tell us a lot about life on Mars!
Science
Published December 12, 2016
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mars earth space planets

Scientists Think They've Discovered First Signs Of Life On Mars

Life on Earth can tell us a lot about life on Mars!
Science
Published December 12, 2016
Advertisement
Advertisement
Next
Advertisement
Share
Advertisement
Read This Next
Congress Approved NASA's $19.5 Billion Budget And Now We're Definitely Going To Mars
We are going to Mars, so you better pack your bags!
Scientists Have Discovered Something Very Strange Hidden In The Sands Of Mars
Mars has so many secrets to tell.
Advertisement
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1. The Red Planet

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Mars has been a mystery to man for ages. Many questions shroud the Red Planet; namely, has there ever been life on Mars? But scientists think that a decade-old accidental discovery may hold the key to unlocking the planet's secrets.

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2. Range Rover

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In 2007, NASA's Spirit rover uncovered silica deposits in what is believed to be an ancient hot springs on Mars. Because the silica deposits are similar to deposits found here on Earth, they've got scientists scratching their heads.

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3. Location, Location

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The deposits were found when Spirit was exploring near an eroded deposit of volcanic ash known as Home Plate in the Columbia Hills of the Gusev Crater, which is three to four billion years old. One of the rover's wheels failed and it dragged along, digging up material, which included the deposits.

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4. Home Away From Home

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But the findings have come up again as scientists recently discovered that the deposits found on Mars resemble deposits found here on Earth in the hot springs in El Tatio, Chile. El Tatio is located on the edge of the Atacama Desert, one of the most Mars-like locales on our planet.

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5. Creative Process

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The similarity of the silica deposits found on Mars to the deposits found in El Tatio suggests that the deposits on Mars were created through a similar process to the one on Earth —through microbial organisms. Should the conjecture be true, the deposits would be evidence that life once existed on the Red Planet.

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6. Microscopic Microbes

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Biosignatures are indicators of a past life. On Earth, they can take the form of fossils. Biosignatures can be as subtle as organic molecules trapped in rocks. However, since no fossils have been detected on Mars as of yet, scientists feel that any Martian biosignature found would be microscopic. The fossils would be difficult to both find and identify as the surface area of Mars is vast.

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7. Say What?

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“We went to El Tatio looking for comparisons with the features found by Spirit at Home Plate. Our results show that the conditions at El Tatio produce silica deposits with characteristics that are among the most Mars-like of any silica deposits on Earth," said  Steve Ruff of Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration. Ruff is one of the co-authors of a report on the findings.

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8. Look Alikes

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"The fact that microbes play a role in producing the distinctive silica structures at El Tatio raises the possibility that the Martian silica structures formed in a comparable manner — in other words, with the help of organisms that were alive at the time," said Ruff.

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9. In The Future

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Because of the findings, NASA is considering the location as a potential landing site for their 2020 Mars rover, provided that the potential for biosignatures has been preserved. The rover will serve as an attempt to discover if life once existed on Mars.

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10. Life On Mars?

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Whatever scientists do end up finding, it's pretty cool knowing that there could have been life on Mars!

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