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Top Headlines

Best Region for Life on Mars Was Far Below Surface

Dec. 2, 2020 — The most habitable region for life on Mars would have been up to several miles below its surface, likely due to subsurface melting of thick ice sheets fueled by geothermal heat, a new study ...

Experiments Unravelling the Mystery of Mars' Moon Phobos

Nov. 30, 2020 — There is no weather in space - but there is weathering: Celestial bodies are bombarded by high energy particles. On the Mars moon Phobos, the situation is complicated: It is hit by particles from the ...

Mars (stock image; | (c) (c) IM_VISUALS / Adobe

Field Geology at Mars' Equator Points to Ancient Megaflood

Nov. 20, 2020 — Floods of unimaginable magnitude once washed through Gale Crater on Mars' equator around 4 billion years ago -- a finding that hints at the possibility that life may have ...

Ancient Zircon Minerals from Mars Reveal the Elusive Internal Structure of the Red Planet

Nov. 17, 2020 — Analysis of an ancient meteorite from Mars suggests that the mineral zircon may be abundant on the surface of the red planet. By determining the age ...

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updated 10:32am EST

Scientists Expand Space Instrument's Capabilities

Nov. 16, 2020 — Scientists have expanded the capabilities of the prototype spaceflight instrument Chemistry Organic and Dating Experiment (CODEX), designed for field-based dating of extraterrestrial materials. CODEX ...

Escape from Mars: How Water Fled the Red Planet

Nov. 12, 2020 — Mars once had oceans but is now bone-dry, leaving many to wonder how the water was lost. Researchers have discovered a surprisingly large amount of water in the upper atmosphere of Mars, where it is ...

Water on Mars concept | (c) (c) Sasa Kadrijevic / Adobe

Water May Be Naturally Occurring on All Rocky Planets

Nov. 9, 2020 — Life is deeply dependent on water, but where does water come from? Based on new research, researchers believe it may emerge in connection with the formation ...

Clay Subsoil at Earth's Driest Place May Signal Life on Mars

Nov. 5, 2020 — Diverse microbes discovered in the clay-rich, shallow soil layers in Chile's dry Atacama Desert suggest that similar deposits below the Martian surface may contain microorganisms, which could be ...

Water on Ancient Mars

Oct. 30, 2020 — A meteorite that originated on Mars billions of years ago reveals details of ancient impact events on the red planet. Certain minerals from the Martian crust in the meteorite are oxidized, suggesting ...

Geologists Simulate Soil Conditions to Help Grow Plants on Mars

Oct. 27, 2020 — Humankind's next giant step may be onto Mars. But before those missions can begin, scientists need to make scores of breakthrough advances, including learning how to grow crops on the red ...

Device Could Help Detect Signs of Extraterrestrial Life

Sep. 16, 2020 — Although Earth is uniquely situated in the solar system to support creatures that call it home, different forms of life could have once existed, or might still exist, on other planets. But finding ...

Study Shows Difficulty in Finding Evidence of Life on Mars

Sep. 15, 2020 — While scientists are eager to study the red planet's soils for signs of life, researchers must ponder a considerable new challenge: Acidic fluids - which once flowed on the Martian surface - may have ...

Sustained Planetwide Storms May Have Filled Lakes, Rivers on Ancient Mars

Aug. 19, 2020 — A new study is helping scientists piece together the ancient climate of Mars by revealing how much rainfall and snowmelt filled its lake beds and river valleys 3.5 billion to 4 billion years ...

The Most Sensitive Instrument in the Search for Life Beyond Earth

Aug. 19, 2020 — Researchers have developed the highly sensitive ORIGIN instrument, which can provide proof of the smallest amounts of traces of life, for future space missions. The instrument may be used on missions ...