Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery on Mars, revealing signs of a crucial life-sustaining process that could have supported ancient life on the Red Planet. The Curiosity rover has found evidence of siderite, an iron carbonate mineral, in rocks drilled from Mount Sharp in the Gale Crater.
This finding suggests that Mars once had a carbon cycle, which is essential for supporting life as we know it. The presence of siderite hints at potentially habitable conditions on Mars, making it possible that ancient life may have thrived there.
The discovery was made after analyzing samples collected by the rover in 2022 and 2023. Researchers found that the rocks contained high quantities of siderite, which is consistent with the idea that a carbon cycle existed on Mars. However, this finding also raises questions about what might have caused life to disappear from the planet.
The researchers believe that an “imbalanced” carbon cycle may have contributed to the extinction of ancient life on Mars. This theory suggests that the planet’s recycling process pulled more carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and into rocks than it released back, making it difficult for life to survive.
The discovery has significant implications for the search for life beyond Earth and highlights the importance of continued exploration of our neighboring planets. While further research is needed to confirm these findings, this breakthrough brings us one step closer to understanding the mysteries of Mars’ ancient past.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/space/mars/curiosity-rover-finds-evidence-for-life-on-mars-that-was-masked-from-satellite-scans