"Yesterday, NASA made the startling announcement that its scientists have uncovered the 'clearest evidence' yet for the existence of life on Mars. Last year, NASA's Perseverance rover discovered that a dry riverbed just north of the Martian equator is dotted with rusty circular markings known as 'leopard spots'. According to NASA administrator Sean Duffy, the space agency now believes these marks could have been left by ancient lifeforms which lived billions of years ago."
"While investigating a region known as the 'Bright Angel', NASA's Perseverance rover spotted a group of unusual markings that resemble leopard spots. Scientists call these spots 'reaction fronts', and they are points of contact where chemical and physical reactions have occurred in the past. Critically, Perseverance's on-board lab found that these spots contained two iron-rich minerals: Vivianite, which is found in decaying organic matter, and greigite, which is produced by microbes on Earth."
"Any life that evolved on Mars would have had to contend with harsh radiation, weak gravity, and temperatures that can swing between 20°C (70°F) in the day and -153°C (-225°F) at night. However, the scientists behind this groundbreaking research say that it is still possible for some forms of life to evolve. If there were life on Mars, it would almost certainly consist of very simple microbial organisms like bacteria."
Perseverance rover mapped a dry riverbed region called Bright Angel and identified rusty circular 'leopard spots' that are reaction fronts where past chemical and physical reactions occurred. On-board analyses detected vivianite and greigite in these spots; vivianite is associated with decaying organic matter and greigite is produced by microbes on Earth. These mineral associations are consistent with microbial processes and raise the possibility that ancient, simple microbial life once inhabited the site billions of years ago. Mars' present conditions include intense radiation, low gravity, and extreme diurnal temperature swings, which would favor microbial life forms and require special adaptations for any more complex organisms.
Read at Mail Online
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