Scientists are studying meteorites from Mars that arrived long back on Earth to determine whether the Red Planet was ever capable of sustaining life as we know it.
Ever since astronomers discovered water on the surface of Mars, they have been curious to learn whether the Red planet was ever capable of sustaining life as we know it. To know more, Michigan State University professor Michael Velbel and his team have begun studying meteorites that originated in Mars and arrived on Earth long back.
Though it will be difficult for the team to arrive at a conclusive answer through this study, they will well be laying the groundwork for future studies to be carried out on this topic.
However, the problem that Velbel and his team are currently facing is that these meteorites have been on Earth for a very long time and now show characteristics of life on Earth rather than that of Mars. Velbel reveals that since these meteorites have been lying around in a habitable environment (Earth), they have picked up habitable characteristics and now contain water-related minerals and chemical signatures that signify livable conditions.
Velbel says that if they could find a way to prove that the characteristics of the meteorite were the same now as before they came to Earth, it could help in discovering some facts about the Red Planet.
The team studying the meteorite was also able to find changes known as terrestrial weathering that took place on Earth on the surface of the rocks. This discovery could provide further clues.
"Our contribution is to provide additional depth and a little broader view than some work has done before in sorting out those two kinds of water-related alterations -- the ones that happened on Earth and the ones that happened on Mars," Velbel said.
Though samples from Mars that were brought to earth by NASA's Rover indicated the presence of water on the planet, Velbel said no further deductions can be made until more such samples are received. Until then, the deductions made from the meteorite are all they have to go by in determining whether Mars was once capable of supporting life.
The research is published in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, a bi-weekly journal co-sponsored by two professional societies, the Geochemical Society and the Meteoritical Society.
