Evidence of salt deposits found on Mars: related news

Scientists Look at Martian Salt for Ancient Life

eldavojohn writes "Is there life on Mars? Maybe not, but a better question might be whether or not it has ever existed on Mars? Scientists are claiming that the best indication for this will be in newly found evaporated salt deposits on Mars which they can use to check for cellulose. Here on earth, tiny fuzzy fibers have been found in salt dating back almost 250 million years making it the oldest known evidence of life on earth. Jack Griffith, a microbiologist from UNC, is quoted as saying, 'Cellulose was one of the earliest polymers organisms made during their evolution, so it pops out as the most likely thing you'd find on Mars, if you found anything at all. Looking for it in salt deposits is probably a very good way to go.'"

Evidence Of Salt Deposits Found On Mars

The U.S. space agency's Mars Odyssey spacecraft has found evidence of salt deposits on Mars, pointing to where water once was abundant.

NASA Mission Finds New Clues to Guide the Search for Life on Mars

WASHINGTON, March 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has found evidence of salt deposits. These deposits point to places where water once was abundant and where evidence might exist of possible Martian life from the Red Planet's past. A team led by Mikki Osterloo of the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, found approximately 200 places on southern Mars that show spectral characteristics consistent with chloride minerals. Chloride is part of many types of salt, such as sodium chloride or table salt. The sites range from about half of a square mile to 25 times that size. "They could come from groundwater reaching the surface in low spots," Osterloo said. "The water would evaporate and leave mineral deposits, which build up over years.

Want to Find Evidence of Life on Another Planet? Look for Cellulose

Until recently, the oldest evidence of biological material on Earth came from fragments of ancient protein found in Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur fossils, dated at 68 million years old. But scientists from the University of North Carolina have found even more ancient biological material — cellulose microfibers—that date to over 250 million years old. These samples of cellulose were found in pristine ancient salt deposits deep beneath the New Mexico desert. This finding comes on the heels of researchers finding huge salt deposits on Mars with the Odyssey orbiter, as well as the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit finding a patch of bright soil that’s believed to be rich with salt. Combined, these findings may help point out destinations for future Mars missions looking for past life on the Red Planet.

Salt deposits may have evidence of life on Mars

scientists have discovered salt deposits on the surface of Mars, indicating that water was once plenty and pointing sites that could provide evidence of past life.

Salt deposits may have evidence of life on Mars: study

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US scientists have discovered salt deposits on the surface of Mars, indicating that water was once plentiful and pointing to sites that could provide evidence of past life, a study said Thursday.

Mars Salt Deposit Discovery Points To A New Place To Hunt For Life's Ancient Traces

Scientists using a Mars-orbiting camera designed and operated at Arizona State University's Mars Space Flight Facility have discovered the first evidence for deposits of chloride minerals - salts - in numerous places on Mars. These deposits, say the scientists, show where water was once abundant and may also provide evidence for the existence of former Martian life.

Mars salt deposit discovery points to a new place to hunt for life's ancient traces

Scientists using a Mars-orbiting camera designed and operated at Arizona State University's Mars Space Flight Facility have discovered the first evidence for deposits of chloride minerals - salts - in numerous places on Mars. These deposits, say the scientists, show where water was once abundant and may also provide evidence for the existence of former Martian life.

Mars is Covered with Salt from Dried Up Oceans

WASHINGTON - NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has found evidence of salt deposits. These deposits point to places where water once was abundant and where evidence might exist of possible Martian life from the Red Planet's past.

NASA announced on Thursday that its Mars Odyssey orbiter has found evidence of salt deposits on Mars.

A handout of the European Space Agency ESA shows a visualisation of Mars, created from spacecraft imagery. (Xinhua/Reuters photo)

The end of the golden age of Mars exploration?

By all accounts it should be the best of times for scientists and other advocates for the exploration of Mars. The planet is under unprecedented study by spacecraft, including three orbiters—NASA’s Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and ESA’s Mars Express—as well as NASA’s twin Mars Exploration Rovers, whose 90-day missions have now lasted over four years each. All these spacecraft have returned data that has helped scientists reshape our understanding of the Red Planet, in particular the key issue of water on the planet both in its past and today. Moreover, another spacecraft, Phoenix, is en route to Mars, and will land in the planet’s northern polar regions on Memorial Day weekend. And perhaps the most sophisticated Mars spacecraft ever, the nuclear-powered Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), is under development for la

Mars spacecraft finds evidence of salt deposits

A Mars probe has spied what appear to be ancient salt deposits in the southern highlands of the planet, giving scientists another place to study whether the environment could have supported primitive life.

Mars spacecraft finds evidence of salt deposits

A Mars probe has spied what appear to be ancient salt deposits in the southern highlands of the planet, giving scientists another place to study whether the environment could have supported primitive life.

Mars spacecraft finds evidence of salt deposits, suggesting areas where water once flowed

PASADENA, Calif.: A Mars probe has spied what appear to be ancient salt deposits in the southern highlands of the planet, giving scientists another place to study whether the environment could have supported primitive life.

Evidence for Ocean Found at Saturn's Moon TitanNewly Found Martian Salt Deposits Suggest Ancient LifeThe Vanishing Rings of SaturnNew Clues to the Most Amazing Shapes in SpaceWater Vapor Hints at Planets Forming Around Nearby StarsVenus and Mars: Sur

This image shows bodies of liquid near Titan's north pole. It show that many of the features commonly associated with lakes on Earth, such as islands, bays, inlets and channels, are also present on this cold Saturnian moon. Credit: NASA/JPL

NASA finds new evidence that might lead to discovery of life on Mars

Washington, March 21 : NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has found evidence of salt deposits on the surface of the Red Planet, which point to places where water once was abundant and where evidence might exist of possible Martian life from the planet's past.

NASA finds new evidence that might lead to discovery of life on Mars

Washington, March 21 : NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has found evidence of salt deposits on the surface of the Red Planet, which point to places where water once was abundant and where evidence might exist of possible Martian life from the planet's past.

Searching for life, NASA finds salt on Mars

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has said that its Mars Odyssey Orbiter found evidence of salt deposits on Mars, giving hope the environment could have supported primitive life.

Searching for life, NASA finds salt on Mars

Washington, March 21 (Xinhua) The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has said that its Mars Odyssey Orbiter found evidence of salt deposits on Mars, giving hope the environment could have supported primitive life.

Salt may hold evidence of life on Mars

US scientists have discovered salt deposits on the surface of Mars, indicating water was once plentiful and pointing to sites that could provide evidence of past life, a new study says.

NASA Mission Finds New Clues to Guide the Search for Life on Mars

WASHINGTON - NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has found evidence of salt deposits. These deposits point to places where water once was abundant and where evidence might exist of possible Martian life from the Red Planet's past.

Odyssey gives clues to guide search for life on Mars

PASADENA, Calif. - NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has found evidence of salt deposits. These deposits point to places where water once was abundant and where evidence might exist of possible Martian life from the Red Planet's past.

NASA Mission Finds New Clues to Guide Search for Life on Mars

PASADENA , Calif. -NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has found evidence of salt deposits. These deposits point to places where water once was abundant and where evidence might exist of possible Martian life from the Red Planet's past.

Evidence Of Glaciers On Mars Suggests Recent Climate Activity

Last year, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured high-resolution images of the Red Planet which showed many mesas, valleys, and rock debris which appeared to be (geologically speaking) recent formations. A team of scientists from Brown University analyzed the photographs and found evidence that the terrain was carved by large glaciers much more recently than they thought possible. Climate activity on Mars was thought to have quieted over 3 billion years ago, but these glaciers would have been around within the last 10-100 million years. "The finding could have implications for the life-on-Mars argument by strengthening the case for liquid water. Ice can melt two ways: by temperature or by pressure. As currently understood, the Martian climate is dominated by sublimation, the process by which solid substances are transformed directly to

Mars Express: Looking Beneath Mars' Surface

To truly know and understand another world, planetary scientists need to look beneath the surface of that planet. This has been done on a small scale by looking inside impact craters, a la Opportunity and Spirit on Mars. But that only provides information for one area on a big planet. To get the global picture of the subsurface, a radar sounder instrument was developed for ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft. The Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) experiment has now been successfully used for the first time to look beneath Mars’ south polar ice cap, opening up the third dimension for planetary exploration. “We have demonstrated that the polar caps at Mars are mostly water ice, and produced an inventory so now we know exactly how much water there is,” says Roberto Orosei, MARSIS Deputy Principal Investiga

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