Scientists have suggested that Mars may have experienced cycles of dry and wet seasons in the past, indicating that the planet could have been habitable at some point.
Through the analysis of mud crack patterns on the early Martian surface, observed by NASA’s Curiosity Rover, researchers from France, the US, and Canada have discovered signs of irregular or episodic water presence. This suggests that water could have been present for a period of time before evaporating.
The researchers propose that this process may have repeated until mud cracks formed. “These exciting observations of mature mud cracks are allowing us to uncover some of Mars’ missing water history. How did Mars transform from a warm, wet planet to the cold, dry environment we now know?” said Nina Lanza, one of the study’s authors and the principal investigator of the ChemCam instrument onboard the Curiosity Rover.
Mud cracks on Earth initially assume a T-shape, but subsequent wetting and drying cycles can cause them to take on a Y-shape. The Y-shaped mud cracks observed on the Martian surface suggest that the planet experienced wet-dry cycles, as reported in the journal Nature.
Furthermore, these mud cracks were shallow, indicating that the wet-dry cycles may have been seasonal or could have occurred rapidly, such as through flash floods.
These findings raise the possibility that Mars once had a wet climate resembling Earth’s, and that it may have been capable of supporting life at some point. “The wet-dry cycles created the perfect conditions for the formation of organic molecules necessary for life, including proteins and RNA, if the right organic molecules existed in that location,” explained co-author Patrick Gasda.
“The presence of wet-dry environments like these on Earth is highly conducive to the development of organic molecules and potentially life. Taken together, these results provide a clearer understanding of Mars as a potentially habitable world,” added Lanza.
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