New Evidence Suggests Hot Water Once Flowed on Mars, Raising Possibility of Ancient Life
Recent discoveries from the Martian meteorite NWA7034 reveal traces of hot water on Mars, suggesting the planet may have supported life billions of years ago.
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Recent evidence suggests that alien life may have existed in hot water on Mars in its ancient past. New findings indicate that hot water could have once flowed on Mars, raising the possibility that the red planet may have been capable of supporting life billions of years ago, despite its current dry conditions.
This discovery comes from a 4.45 billion-year-old zircon grain found in the Martian meteorite NWA7034, also known as "Black Beauty," which was recovered from the Sahara Desert in 2011.
The meteorite, which is the second oldest ever found, contains a zircon grain that shows traces of water-rich fluids, offering crucial evidence of ancient water on Mars.
Aaron Cavosie, a scientist from Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, explained that this breakthrough could provide new insights into Mars' volcanic and hydrothermal systems. The team used advanced nano-scale geochemistry to uncover traces of hot water on Mars, dating back 4.45 billion years.
The research also indicates that hydrothermal systems, which were vital for life on Earth, might have existed on Mars as well, supporting the theory that Mars had the essential ingredients for life.
The zircon grain was analyzed using nano-scale imaging and spectroscopy, which revealed key elements like iron, aluminium, yttrium, and sodium—suggesting water was once present on the planet.
This discovery builds on previous findings, such as a study by MIT geologists in July, which used satellite images to examine Martian rivers and theorised that water existed in liquid form on Mars as recently as 4.1 billion years ago. However, scientists believe Mars lost its water due to intense solar radiation billions of years ago.
