Scientists Find , Further Evidence of , Water on Mars.
New evidence suggests that Mars
may be home to liquid water. .
'The Independent' reports that the finding represents
a major breakthrough in the search for proof of water
on Mars and potential alien life on the red planet.
According to scientists, this is the first time
that evidence of water has been found
using data that did not come from radar.
Researchers used lasers on spacecraft
to identify small changes in
the height of the Martian ice caps.
Those patterns were then compared to
a computer model used to predict how a body
of water would change the surface of the ice caps.
The team's findings reportedly provide
a second piece of evidence that Mars
possesses liquid water under its South Pole.
The research was led by the University
of Cambridge and included scientists from
the Open University and the University of Sheffield.
The team's paper, 'Surface topographic impact of
subglacial water beneath the south polar ice cap
of Mars,’ was published in the journal 'Nature Astronomy.'.
This study gives the best indication yet
that there is liquid water on Mars today
because it means that two of the key
pieces of evidence we would look for
when searching for subglacial lakes
on Earth have now been found on Mars, Dr Frances Butcher, second author of the study from
the University of Sheffield, via 'The Independent'.
Liquid water is an essential ingredient
for life, although it does not necessarily
mean that life exists on Mars, Dr Frances Butcher, second author of the study from
the University of Sheffield, via 'The Independent'