A group of scientists has discovered new evidence of liquid water under the south polar ice cap of Mars, in a major breakthrough for the ongoing search for life.
Related Topics
New evidence for water on Mars
Scientists have found new evidence suggesting liquid water may exist on Mars, a breakthrough in our long-running effort to determine if the Red Planet ever hosted life.
The study, led by the University of Cambridge, provides the first independent evidence using data other than radar for the presence of liquid water, under the south polar ice cap of Mars.
Dr Francis Butcher, second author of the study from the University of Sheffield, said in a statement: “This study provides the best indication yet that there is liquid water on Mars today, because it means that 2 of the main clues make us look for subglacial lakes on Earth.”
In his statement, he added, liquid water is an essential element for life, although it does not necessarily mean the presence of life on Mars.
The water is salty
He explained: To be liquid in these cold temperatures, the water below Antarctica would need to be really salty, making it difficult for any microbial life to live in.
He emphasized that, however, it does give hope of the existence of more habitable environments in the past when the climate was less harsh.
The international research team, which also included scientists from the University of Nantes and University College Dublin, used the spacecraft’s laser altimeter measurements of the shape of the ice cap’s upper surface to determine precise patterns in its elevation.
Then they showed that these patterns matched a computer model’s predictions of how a body of water under the ice sheet would affect the surface.
Responsibility for the news: Cedar News is not responsible for this news in form or content, and it only expresses the point of view of its source or writer.
