Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Mars rocks could reveal early life

|
|
 
  
Published: July 30, 2010 at 1:39 PM
 
Advertisement

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 30 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they've identified rock formations on Mars that could contain fossilized remains of early life on the planet.

A team led by a scientist from the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute in California says ancient rocks in an area of Mars called Nili Fossae closely resemble those in an area of Australia where evidence of early life on Earth has been buried and preserved in mineral form, the BBC reported Friday.

They say the processes that preserved these markers of life on Earth could have taken place on Mars at Nili Fossae.

The Nili Fossae rocks are up to 4 billion years old and have been in existence for three-quarters of the history of Mars, researchers say.

In 2008 they were found to contain carbonate, long considered evidence of ancient life.

Buried life, over millions of years, often turns into carbonate, scientists say.

"This is the place that we should be checking out for life on early Mars," said Adrian Brown of SETI.

Recommended Stories
© 2010 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
Oscar nominations 2012 High Fashion in Paris 2011: The year in space
Additional Science News Stories
1 of 20
"TIME" premiere in Japan
View Caption
fark
Ready to inhale your caffeine instead of drink it?
"...as the initial water released from the lake was contaminated by drilling fluid." *facepalm*
How many officers does it take to beat the fark out of a man in insulin shock? In Nevada, the answer...
Top 3 things not to wear when escaping from prison: #3 - Heart monitor, #2 - Hospital gown, #1 -...
When your friend gives you a ride to work instead of your girlfriend, does your girlfriend a) say...
Twitter troll learns the hard way that you shouldn't call the Queen of England a "benefits scrounger"...