ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Space

Martian water was mineral-rich and salty — good hints of habitability

The seas on Mars might have been much like those on Earth.

Mihai AndreibyMihai Andrei
January 21, 2020
in Geology, Oceanography, Space
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

Curiosity has found new hints of the Red Planet’s past — and they look intriguing.

So far, we’ve only ever found life on Earth. Until very recently, we didn’t even know of other Earth-like planets — but that all changed, fast. We’ve since found thousands of exoplanets, some of which are very promising in terms of habitability.

But for now, at least, we can only explore the planets inside our own solar system. Mars was always a candidate for extraterrestrial life. It’s comparable in size to our planet, lies at a good distance for the Sun, and it seemed to have a decent atmosphere at some point. More recent investigations have found strong evidence for ancient systems of water. Other exotic places, like Europa or Enceladus may also harbor (or have harbored) life, but Mars will always be a promising candidate.

Very promising, as recent evidence shows.

Curiosity has drilled two small cores into what researchers believe to be lake sediments. Using the scientific instruments at its disposal, the rover analyzed the sediments, tracing their chemical makeup.

This makeup suggests that, in addition to Mars’ wet past, we can also infer that the lakes (or seas) may have been very rich in minerals, and were also salty.

In other words, Mars’ oceans bared striking similarities to those on Earth.

RelatedPosts

Horses owe ambling gait to a gene mutation which first appeared more than 1,000 years ago
World’s largest floating solar farm to be built in Japan
The Earth has room for a trillion more trees — which might be our best bet against climate change
Test launch for Manned Mission to Mars postponed; history will have to wait [UPDATE]
It’s become increasingly clear that Mars used to have an active water system — both from topographical imagery (such as the one above) and mineralogic studies.

It gets even better. Not only was the chemical make-up similar to that of Earth, but the acidity (pH) was also close to that of Earth’s modern oceans.

We know that life can emerge in Earth’s oceans, so if water on Mars looked a lot like that on our planet, there’s a good chance life might have emerged there as well.

However, this would have been the case billions of years ago. Nowadays, Mars is a pretty barren wasteland, and it’s not clear if any life can exist there at all — even microbial life.

But even if life on Mars doesn’t exist now, it might have been there at some point in the past, which begs the question: how likely are we to find traces of it, such as fossils or more likely, chemical traces of living creatures?

That’s not exactly clear, and it’s not something that Curiosity is well-equipped to do.

NASA’s 2020 rover, on the other hand, will do just that: look for signs of life (especially microbial life) and habitable conditions on Mars — and we can’t wait for the results.

The study has been published in Nature Communications.

ShareTweetShare
Mihai Andrei

Mihai Andrei

Dr. Andrei Mihai is a geophysicist and founder of ZME Science. He has a Ph.D. in geophysics and archaeology and has completed courses from prestigious universities (with programs ranging from climate and astronomy to chemistry and geology). He is passionate about making research more accessible to everyone and communicating news and features to a broad audience.

Related Posts

Health

More People Are Dying from Broken Heart Syndrome Than Anyone Realized

byTudor Tarita
11 minutes ago
Health

Everything You Need to Know About Bird Flu

byAmber Dance
3 hours ago
Geology

This beautiful rock holds evidence of tsunamis from 115 million years ago

byMihai Andrei
14 hours ago
Mind & Brain

New Version of LSD Boosts Brain Plasticity Without the Psychedelic Trip

byTibi Puiu
15 hours ago

Recent news

More People Are Dying from Broken Heart Syndrome Than Anyone Realized

May 20, 2025

Everything You Need to Know About Bird Flu

May 20, 2025

This beautiful rock holds evidence of tsunamis from 115 million years ago

May 20, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.