Paris: Why has life always flourished on our somewhat similar planet Earth, whereas Mars is barren and uninhabitable? According to new research released on Wednesday, a NASA rover’s discovery has provided an explanation to this mystery: although rivers previously occasionally flowed on Mars, the planet was destined to be primarily a desert.
It is believed that Mars now possesses all the elements required for life, with the possible exception of liquid water, which is likely the most crucial component. However, old lakes and rivers have carved out the red surface, indicating that water previously flowed on our closest neighbor.
Several rovers are presently scouring Mars for evidence of life that might have lived millions of years ago, when conditions were more hospitable.
The missing component in this puzzle was found earlier this year by NASA’s Curiosity rover: rocks that are abundant in carbonate minerals. Carbon dioxide is drawn in from the atmosphere and trapped in rock by these “carbonates,” which include limestone on Earth.
The discovery of these rocks could alter our knowledge of Mars’ past, according to a recent study that was published in the journal Nature.
Short “oases”
Lead research author Edwin Kite, a member of the Curiosity team and a planetary scientist at the University of Chicago, stated that it seemed that Mars has “blips of habitability in some times and places.” However, rather than being the norm, these “oases” were the exception.
The atmosphere of Earth warms due to carbon dioxide. Carbon is trapped in rocks like carbonates for extended periods of time. The gas is then released back into the atmosphere by volcanic eruptions, which maintain a stable climate cycle that supports continuously flowing water.
But according to Kite, Mars’ pace of volcanic outgassing is “feeble” in comparison to Earth’s. This upsets the equilibrium, making Mars considerably colder and less habitable.
The modeling research indicates that Mars experienced brief periods of liquid water followed by 100 million years of arid desert, which is a long time for anything to survive.
According to Kite, there may yet be liquid water pockets on Mars that we haven’t discovered yet. He noted that carbonate evidence was also discovered at the edge of a dried-up lake by NASA’s Perseverance Rover, which touched down on an ancient Martian delta in 2021. The scientists’ next goal is to find further carbonate evidence.
The return of rock samples from the Martian surface to Earth, which China and the United States are vying for within the next ten years, would be the best evidence, according to Kite.
Are we by ourselves?
One of the most important issues that scientists are trying to answer is how common it is for planets like Earth to support life. Since the early 1990s, astronomers have found almost 6,000 planets outside of our Solar System. According to Kite, scientists may only examine rocks on Mars and Earth in order to learn more about the planet’s history.
It would suggest that it is challenging to establish life throughout the universe if we were to discover that Mars never supported even microscopic microorganisms throughout its wet periods.
However, Kite stated that finding evidence of ancient life would “basically be telling us the origin of life is easy on a planetary scale.”
SOURCE: DAWN NEWS
