astronomy
Mars: New Evidence of Life-Friendly Environment
New evidence reveals Mars’ life-friendly past: fossil rivers, lakes, organic molecules, and cyclical climate patterns.
A hexagonal fossil pattern in sedimentary rocks analysed by Curiosity on the 3154th day of its journey through the Gale Crater on Mars.
« Mars: new evidence of an environment conducive to the emergence of life
Mars, the red planet, has always captivated the imagination of scientists and space enthusiasts alike. Recent findings by the CNRS (Centre National de Recherche Scientifique) shed light on the possibility of Mars having once harbored an environment conducive to the emergence of life. This discovery has significant implications for understanding the potential for extraterrestrial life.
Preserved Ancient Terrain:
Unlike Earth, Mars lacks the constant renewal of its surface through plate tectonics. This unique characteristic has resulted in preserving vast areas abundant in fossil rivers and lakes dating back billions of years. Previous explorations, notably NASA’s Curiosity rover, had already detected simple organic molecules, indicating the presence of geological and possibly biological processes.
Ideal Environmental Conditions:
The recent research conducted by a team from CNRS and other institutions unveiled the discovery of hexagonal patterns in sedimentary layers dating from 3.8 to 3.6 billion years ago. These patterns, similar to those found in seasonal basins on Earth, are the first fossil evidence of a sustained, cyclical, regular Martian climate with dry and wet seasons. Such an environment allows molecules to repeatedly interact at varying concentrations, creating ideal conditions for the formation of complex organic compounds, including RNA, which are crucial precursors to life.
Implications for Future Exploration:
These new findings provide scientists with a fresh perspective on large-scale images collected by orbiting spacecraft, revealing numerous terrains with similar compositions. By pinpointing the locations that exhibit the necessary conditions for the emergence of life, researchers can focus their future explorations and investigations. Mars, with its preserved ancient terrain, holds the potential to unlock the secrets of natural processes that led to the origin of life, which may no longer exist on Earth.
The CNRS research team’s discovery of hexagonal patterns and deposits of salts on Mars offers compelling evidence of an environment that once fostered the emergence of life. These findings fuel excitement and curiosity about the possibility of extraterrestrial life in our solar system. As exploration efforts continue, scientists will delve further into Mars’ past, unraveling its mysteries and providing valuable insights into the origins of life, both on our neighboring planet and potentially beyond.
For more reading Please visit:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06220-3
