Another discovery on Mars points to possibility of life
- The existence of life on Mars is a fast-developing subject within science
- NASA has been particularly keen in investigating this matter
- A recent discovery may point toward an answer
Published on Aug 13, 2024 at 3:28 PM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Aug 13, 2024 at 3:28 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
There’s been another breakthrough in the search for life on Mars.
It’s no secret that NASA has had a keen interest in the question of whether the red planet could support lifeforms or not.
A lot of money and manpower has been put to the task of discovering clues that could point to an answer.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
To quote David Bowie – is there life on Mars?
Recently, NASA scientists discovered something that points to Mars being a host of alien life.
It wasn’t exactly a little green man with big bulbous eyes, but it’s still promising.
It was evidence of ocean’s worth of liquid water beneath the planet’s surface, stored in the crust.
The reservior is approximately seven to 13 miles below the surface, and could contain enough water to cover the planet’s surface in a mile deep ocean.
At this moment in time, the water is too deep to be accessed by humans.
However, scientists are excited about the discovery, as it points toward the planet being a possible host for life.
The findings were uncovered by Marsquake measurements taken by NASA’s InSight lander.
NASA’s technology is constantly bringing us fascinating insights from our red neighbor, including these incredible photos from the surface.
What this discovery could mean for science
Water is particularly important for scientists to investigate, as it could contain microbial life.
The findings of InSight’s work were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
A contributing author, Michael Manga, a planetary scientist at the University of California, said: “It’s certainly true on Earth — deep, deep mines host life, the bottom of the ocean hosts life.
“We haven’t found any evidence for life on Mars, but at least we have identified a place that should, in principle, be able to sustain life.”
Organic molecules have already been found in a Martian rock by another NASA robot.
The InSight mission concluded in 2022, but scientists are still working through the collected data.
As InSight’s seisometer measured Marsquake activity through seismic waves, it gave scientists an insight to what lay beneath the surface.
Business Insider likened it to how an X-Ray or CAT scan would reveal what’s inside a human body.
The scientists determined that a layer of igneous rock saturated with water was the most likely explanation for InSight’s data.
All this leads scientists to a follow-up question – where did the water go?
