A groundbreaking new discovery on the Red Planet could alter our understanding of this mysterious world, and our search for life on it.
Scientists have just made a big, big discovery on the Martian surface after diving into the reams of data collected by the Mars Curiosity rover deployed by NASA years ago. Researchers determined that there was once an ancient lake on Mars that behaved very much like an Earth lake, with different parts of the lake offering suitable conditions for different types of microbes.
It’s a huge surprise to scientists and a promising sign that life could have once existed on our neighbor. The findings are based on the first three and a half years of data from the Curiosity rover, and they were published in the journal Science with the title, “Redox stratification of an ancient lake in Gale crater, Mars.”
This ancient lake may have existed many eons ago; for example, the lake that was in the Gale Crater probably disappeared about three billion years ago. But the signs that this ancient lake behaved like Earth lakes by having environmental conditions suitable for different types of life is an encouraging signs for scientists hoping for a breakthrough in the search for alien life.
“We’re learning that in parts of the lake and at certain times, the water carried more oxygen,” said Roger Wiens, a planetary scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory and co-author of the study, published today in the journal Science. “This matters because it affects what minerals are deposited in the sediments, and also because oxygen is important for life. But we have to remember that at the time of Gale Lake, life on our planet had not yet adapted to using oxygen–photosynthesis had not yet been invented. Instead, the oxidation state of certain elements like manganese or iron may have been more important for life, if it ever existed on Mars. These oxidation states would be controlled by the dissolved oxygen content of the water.”
How odd this assumption that water is a sine qua non for life. This assumption is a sort of Earth Chauvinism: “All life must be like life on Earth”.
This is the worst of all possible news for the planet earth. What it tells you is that life is a gift, not a right.
If Mars HAD water, HAD life and it’s gone now then the impact being done to our planet by greedy little egotistical maniacs, like Donald Dump, has a more clear end.
Already we know that water-vapor is leaving our planet… thanks to the thinning of the ozone layer by these same self-adsorbed criminals.
Wondering why the melting ice isn’t flooding the land-mass? Because every nanosecond we loose more water than is in Lake Erie.
Not too distant future we will be dry and lifeless as Mars.
Unless the satellite and rover pics are all fake, the question about past and present life on mars has been answered for anyone taking the time to examine just a few of those photos. The powers that be are slowly releasing more and more clear photos of mars with the apparent intent that we be gradualized into accepting the truth. They are not going to just blurt it out. Too complicated. Too many religions and societies would hit the panic button. I have been studying those photos for almost two decades. There are more artificial ruins on mars than anyone could ever imagine. A planet that was all but sterilized millions of years ago from war. Look up Dr. Robert Brandenberg on you tube. He is a plasma phycisist who wrote several books and submitted as many papers on the death of that planet. Its by far the saddest story in the solar system. The current life on mars appears to be all but bizarre!! Multi- humanoid species, lower mammals, reptiles and the craziest assortment of dwellings above and probably below ground that a person could imagine. It’s just all too fasinating!! And somewhat unbelievable I will admit. I’ve seen artifacts such as broken statues, dwellings, factories, mechanical devices etc. It’s all there. The numbers are impressive but not necessary to prove my point. It only takes one white crow to prove all crows are not black . . .