LIFE ON MARS
NASA finds ‘building blocks of life’ in 3billion-year-old lakebed on Mars in huge breakthrough
Top scientists have analysed data sent back from the Curiosity rover – is there finally proof of alien life on the red planet?
NASA has found "building blocks of life" in a three billion-year-old lakebed on Mars in a huge breakthrough.
The space agency confirmed it had uncovered a number of "organic compounds" - renewing hope for Curiosity's search for life on Mars.
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The discovery of molecules preserved in ancient bedrock suggest conditions on the Red Planet may once have been conducive to life.
It leaves open the possibility that microorganisms once populated Mars - and still might.
But experts say they cannot confirm either way.
The car-sized Curiosity rover was launched from Florida in November 2011 and landed on Mars in August 2012.
Nasa has tasked the rover with investigating the Martian climate and geology, and to see if the right conditions exist for microbial life – ahead of an eventual human landing.
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Researchers have now been able to analyse drill samples of soil collected by Curiosity - and they've turned up the "best evidence yet", according to experts.
Nasa has already found "limited organic compounds" on Mars, but scientists have lacked information on ancient organic matter in Martian sediments.
Now they have found "a number of different organic compounds" and confirmed increases of methane in the Martian atmosphere.
Curiosity collected samples from two different sites in the Gale crater: Mohave and Confidence Hills.
These areas harbour mudstones that date back roughly three billion years.
Using the rover, Nasa was able to extract new samples and heat them up, releasing molecules for analysis.
Nasa's Curiosity rover – what is its mission?
These are the eight scientific objectives of Curiosity during its time on Mars...
Biological objectives:
- 1. Determine the nature and inventory of organic carbon compounds
- 2. Inventory the chemical building blocks of life (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous, and sulfur)
- 3. Identify features that may represent the effects of biological processes
Geological and geochemical objectives:
- 4. Investigate the chemical, isotopic, and mineralogical composition of the martian surface and near-surface geological materials
- 5. Interpret the processes that have formed and modified rocks and soils
Planetary process objectives:
- 6. Assess long-timescale (i.e., 4-billion-year) atmospheric evolution processes
- 7. Determine present state, distribution, and cycling of water and carbon dioxide
Surface radiation objective:
- 8. Characterize the broad spectrum of surface radiation, including galactic cosmic radiation, solar proton events, and secondary neutrons
The discovery is a major boon in the search for evidence of life on Mars – organic materials are carbon-based compounds that make up the building blocks of life itself.
Nasa also used Curiosity to measure methane levels on Mars.
We've known about the existence of methane on Mars for a while, but its origins have been a major source of debate.
On Earth, the majority of methane is produced by biological sources – living creatures.
Researchers have now analysed three Martian years' (55 Earth months) of atmospheric measurements.
And it seems that methane levels on Mars rise and fall very clearly in line with seasons.
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Methane levels range between 0.24 and 0.65 parts-per-billion, peaking towards the end of summer (in the northern hemisphere).
Sadly, Nasa scientists seem convinced that it's not life on Mars pumping out methane into the atmosphere.
Instead, the study suggests that large amounts of the gas are stored in water-based crystals "in the cold Martian subsurface".
It's most likely that seasonal changes in temperature cause this fluctuating release of methane.
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Curiosity now continues its mission to explore the Gale crater, which spans 96 miles across.
The crater is estimated to be around 3.5-3.8billion years old, and was first observed in the late 19th century by Australian banker and amateur astronomer Walter Frederick Gale.
In the centre of Gale is Aeolis Mons, a huge crater that rises 18,000 feet high – that's around two-thirds the height of Mount Everest.
Do you think scientists will ever find life on Mars, or anywhere in the universe? Let us know in the comments!
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