The NASA Curiosity rover has found evidence [abstract] of "night-time transient liquid brines in the uppermost 5 cm of the subsurface that then evaporate after sunrise".
The observations point to a daily water cycle supported by perchlorate salts in the soil. Mars should be too cold to support liquid water on its surface, but the briny water has a lower freezing point.
(Score: 2) by Covalent on Thursday April 16 2015, @12:48AM
This ups the odds of finding life on Mars by a significant amount. Ecosystems with damp soil are nearly always teeming with bacteria on Earth. I know that the perchlorates are not ideal, but extremophiles on Earth have eked out a living in some pretty evil conditions.
OK, Congress, get serious about a manned mission to Mars. Fund it!
You can't rationally argue somebody out of a position they didn't rationally get into.
(Score: 1) by SubiculumHammer on Thursday April 16 2015, @01:05AM
The think the question is, "Can life first evolve in a extreme environment?"..which is different than the question, "Can existing life evolve to live in extreme environments?"
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Covalent on Thursday April 16 2015, @01:39AM
This is a terrific question, though I would argue that life almost certainly did originate in a hostile environment (early Earth was no picnic). But your point is still valid. Early Earth may have been more conducive for the formation of life than Mars. But then early Mars was supposedly much nicer than current Mars.
So there are really two possibilities for life on Mars: Early life that originated in a nicer environment and then survived by adapting to the harshness, or life that originated in this harsh environment.
You can't rationally argue somebody out of a position they didn't rationally get into.
(Score: 2) by jcross on Thursday April 16 2015, @02:37AM
There's also the small possibility that life on Mars traveled there from Earth on ejecta from an asteroid impact, or even vice versa.
(Score: 2) by Covalent on Thursday April 16 2015, @03:38PM
Good point!
You can't rationally argue somebody out of a position they didn't rationally get into.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Thursday April 16 2015, @01:25AM
Manned mission to Mars finds life. Life on Mars finds Earth on return and infects it to the detriment of any pre-existing lifeforms.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday April 16 2015, @01:52AM
We'll just pour crisp quality Earth water on them to kill them.
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