WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- NASA scientists say they've determined water might still flow on Mars, raising intrigue about the potential for microbial life on the planet.
The scientists say recent photographs have revealed bright new deposits in two gullies on Mars that suggest water carried sediment through them sometime in the past seven years.
"These observations give the strongest evidence to date that water still flows occasionally on the surface of Mars," said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Mars Exploration Program.
The photographs were taken by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor.
Scientists said the shape of the deposits is what would be expected if material were carried by flowing water. The deposits have finger-like branches at the downhill end and are easily diverted around small obstacles, researchers said.
Although the atmosphere of Mars is so thin and the temperature so low, liquid water would rapidly evaporate or freeze. But scientists posit water might remain liquid long enough, after breaking out from an underground source, to carry debris downslope before freezing. The two fresh deposits are each several hundred yards long.
A report concerning the findings appears in the journal Science.
