NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover has been exploring the planet since 2012. Now there are images of hexagonal cracks in the parched planetary soil. The scientists have published the photos and say the cracks could be evidence that Mars once had an Earth-like climate.
As NASA reports, scientists are still not exactly sure how life on Earth began. The prevailing theory holds that cycles of wet and dry conditions alternated and enabled microbial life.
That’s why the latest discovery from the Mars rover Curiosity is so exciting for the researchers: The patchwork of well-preserved ancient mud cracks could hint that wet-dry cycles existed on Mars, too.
“These particular mud cracks form when wet-dry conditions occur repeatedly — possibly seasonally,” said the study’s lead author, William Rapin of France’s Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie.
The Mars rover gradually ascends to the sediment layers of Mount Sharp, which is about three miles high on Mars. He discovered the mud cracks in 2021 when he drilled for a sample – the scientists have now published the photos and their research results.
“This is the first tangible evidence we’ve seen that the ancient Martian climate had such regular, Earth-like wet-dry cycles,” Rapin said. “Most importantly, wet-dry cycles are useful—perhaps even necessary—for molecular evolution that could lead to life.”
Because although water is essential for life, a balance is also necessary: there should not be too much water, but also not too little. “We are very fortunate to have a planet like Mars nearby, which still harbors a reminder of the natural processes that may have led to life,” says Rapin.
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Source: Blick
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