Mars scientists find 'strongest evidence yet' that planet may have supported life - National Post

Scientists believe they may have found the 'strongest evidence yet' that Mars may have supported life, but it's unlikely in the form most people would recognize.

New research published today in the journal Nature Geoscience suggests a team of scientists could have discovered the ingredients of life in a huge crater up to 5km below the planet's surface.

The McLaughlin crater, which was made by a meteorite which smashed into Mars, is described as an area of interest for the team, led by London's Natural History Museum and the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.

The impact of the meteorite forced up rocks from kilometres below the surface around the crater - one of the deepest on Mars - which scientists believe are made of clays and minerals that have been altered by water - a key ingredient for life.

The research suggest those deposits formed as a result of groundwater upwelling on Mars and could preserve critical evidence of a deep biosphere on Mars. The scientists say their findings could confirm theories that tiny organisms could have existed under the surface of the Red Planet.

"We could be so close to discovering if there is, or was, life on Mars", report co-author Prof John Parnell told the Telegraph.

"We know from studies that a substantial proportion of all life on Earth is also in the subsurface and by studying the McLaughlin Crater we can see similar conditions beneath the surface of Mars thanks to observations on the rocks brought up by the meteorite strike.

"There can be no life on the surface of Mars because it is bathed in radiation and it's completely frozen. However, life in the sub surface would be protected from that.

"And there is no reason why there isn't bacteria or other microbes that were or still are living in the small cracks well below the surface of Mars," Prof John Parnell said.

Lead author Dr Joseph Michalski told the BBC that life on Earth could have originated underground: "However, the early geological record of Earth is poorly preserved so we may never know what processes led to life's origin and early evolution.

"Whether the Martian geologic record contains life or not, analysis of these types of rocks would certainly teach us a tremendous amount about early chemical processes in the solar system,"  Dr Michalski said.

The potential discovery comes at a time of unprecedented interest in the Red Planet as all eyes focus on the NASA rover Curiosity, which is poised to begin drilling into a Martian rock soon.

Despite the latest findings, what still hasn't been proved definitively is whether Mars ever had the right environmental conditions to support microscopic organisms — something Curiosity is trying to answer during its two-year mission. Besides water, it's generally agreed that a power source like the sun and carbon-based compounds are essential for life.

Another Mars rover – the older Opportunity which is embarking on its tenth year of exploration - has been parked on a clay-rich hill along the western rim of Endeavour Crater that's unlike any scenery it encountered before.

It plans to wrap up at its current spot in the next several months and then drive south where the terrain looks even riper for discoveries.

The six-wheel, solar-powered rover parachuted to Eagle Crater in Mars' southern hemisphere on Jan. 24, 2004, weeks after its twin Spirit landed on the opposite side of the planet.

Opportunity made one of the enduring finds on Mars: Signs abound of an ancient environment that was warmer and wetter than today's dusty, cold desert state. Opportunity explored four other craters, uncovering even more hints that water existed on Mars long ago.

Unlike the flashier Curiosity, armed with the latest tools, Opportunity is not equipped with a carbon detector. Its latest crater destination, which it arrived at last year after an epic three-year journey, contains sections rich in clay deposits. Clays typically form in the presence of water and can be a fine preserver of carbon material. But scientists will never know.

As it enters its tenth year on Mars, Opportunity will continue studying the chemical makeup and pinning down the ages of several interesting rocks at its location for several more months before adding more mileage to the 22 miles it has logged since landing.

As for the hunt for carbon, all eyes are on Curiosity, set to drive later this year to the base of a mountain where rock layers containing clay minerals have been detected.

With files from Associated Press