The solution to whether extraterrestrial beings truly exist might be much nearer than we imagine, all because of our cosmic neighbor. Mars .
The crimson planet has been a prime target for both researchers and fact-finders as they explore signs of life. extraterrestrial life .
Now NASA might have assisted in locating it due to indications of a carbon cycle underneath Mars' sandy exterior.
Proving that life existed on Mars is challenging; therefore, researchers concentrate on examining its rocks and molecules since these currently offer the strongest evidence available.
While conducting its investigation, the space agency’s Curiosity rover detected signs of the carbon cycle as it traversed the rugged terrain.
This continuous process involves carbon being emitted, taken up, emitted again, and taken up once more as it circulates among the atmosphere, oceans, living organisms, rocks, and soil.
This is the most recent research utilizing NASA's Curiosity rover to determine whether life exists on Mars. Following an earlier study from last month, this new investigation has uncovered compounds typically produced by living organisms. were discovered on the planet.
Ben Tutolo, who is the main writer of the paper, stated that these carbon cycles are essential. indicating signs of life.
'It indicates that the planet had conditions suitable for life and confirms that our models predicting habitability are accurate,' stated Mr Tutolo, who is an associate professor within the Department of Earth, Energy and Environment at the Faculty of Science, University of Calgary.
Scientists think that early Mars likely had an atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide along with liquid water on its surface—two essential components required for life as we know it.
Although rocks play a crucial role in uncovering these details, rovers haven’t detected sufficient amounts of carbon to confirm this theory. Therefore, researchers at the University of Chicago examined information gathered from three drilling locations visited by the rover to check for any presence of carbon.
The university observed the existence of siderite, 'an iron carbonate substance,' within the sulfate-rich strata of Mount Sharp in Gale Crater.
The team believes this mineral came about when water evaporated and permeated through tiny spaces on Mars' surface as the atmosphere became drier, indicating that the planet may have previously experienced a warm and moist environment.
‘The broader implications are the planet was habitable up until this time , however, as the CO2 that was heating up the planet began to form into siderite, this probably affected Mars' capacity to maintain warmth,' Tutolo stated.
'Looking ahead, the key question is: How much of this atmospheric CO2 was truly captured? Could that have been why we started losing our habitat?'
The discovery of siderite, an iron carbonate mineral, came as a surprise to the scientists, since satellites had not previously detected it on Mars.
'Once we reach the site on the Martian surface with our drilling equipment, we discover that it has a higher concentration of siderite than any other deposit that has been studied on Mars,' Tutolo stated.
'So that comes as a shock, doesn’t it? Then we must consider: Could all these scientists who meticulously analyzed this data possibly have overlooked something?'
Tutolo stated they didn't. Instead, the cunning mineral was concealed beneath magnesium sulfate salts, commonly known as Epsom salt.
The Earth's surface has remained consistently inhabitable for approximately 3.5 billion years; however, Mars' environment changed from being initially hospitable to becoming inhospitable over time," noted Edwin Kite, an associate professor specializing in geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago and one of the authors contributing to this study.
'This finding aids our comprehension of the processes that steered the two planets onto vastly divergent courses.'
Is this suggesting there might have been life on Mars? Tutolo isn’t certain.
'Although these sediment layers in Gale Crater were formed around 3.5 billion years ago, Mars itself is approximately 4.5 billion years old,' he explained. 'The planet did not maintain continuously habitable conditions.'
NASA states that its Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars in 2012, will keep exploring the Red Planet to assist humans in comprehending its past and why it turned into the rust-colored world we see now.
This might also assist individuals on Earth with another challenge – dealing with climate change.
Carbon capture — removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it beneath the earth — is an area that specialists such as Tutolo have been exploring.
This natural occurrence takes place on Earth, providing our blue planet with a well-balanced atmosphere. In contrast, Mars appears to have sequestered more of the greenhouse gases within its carbon cycle rather than releasing them back into the environment.
As global warming intensifies Earth’s heat, Tutolo explained CBC That Mars might offer humanity a model for 'pumping' carbon deep beneath the surface.
Contact our news team by sending an email to webnews@.co.uk .
For more stories like this, check our news page .
Get the latest on all the buzzworthy stories by subscribing to 's News Updates newsletter.