Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

July 24, 2008 7:38:10 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Mars Was Too Salty for Life

Posted Feb 16, 08 7:58 AM CST in Science & Health 

(Newser) – Hopes that Mars may once have supported life have taken a blow with the discovery that the planet has been too salty for life for much of its history, the BBC reports. "It was salty enough that only a handful of known terrestrial organisms would have a ghost of a chance of surviving there when conditions were at their best," a member of NASA's Mars rover team said.

The Opportunity rover has been on Mars for months analyzing rocks. The results show that in Mars' watery early history, the environment was too salty and acidic for even the toughest micro-organisms. The search for Martians will continue when the Phoenix lander arrives near the planet's north pole in May to look under the frozen surface for evidence of life.

Source BBC

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • 'You Might Be Able to Grow Asparagus' on Mars

    Jun 26, 08 4:47 PM CDT
    'You Might Be Able to Grow Asparagus' on Mars Samples of Martian soil analyzed by instruments onboard the Phoenix lander have earth-bound scientists “flabbergasted.” Why? Readings indicate that the extraterrestrial loam could, perhaps has, and possibly will, support life, Reuters reports. Along with ice the lander discovered earlier, “We basically have found what appears to be the requirements, the nutrients, to support life,” a scientist said. More »

  • Mars Through a Microscope

    Jun 6, 08 7:34 AM CDT
    Mars Through a Microscope The Phoenix Mars Lander has taken the first high-resolution images of another planet's dirt and sand in its continued quest for signs of life in the planet's polar region. The microscopic particles were kicked up when the lander touched down and collected  on a slide, Reuters reports. Scientists note that a whitish material in one image probably is not ice but some kind of mineral. More »

  • Stowaway Molecules Could Taint Mars Results

    Jun 5, 08 4:10 PM CDT
    Stowaway Molecules Could Taint Mars Results Missions searching for signs of life on Mars could be fooled by organic molecules that hitched a ride from Earth, a new study suggests. University of Florida researchers using simulated Martian conditions found that ATP, an energy-storing molecule fundamental to terrestrial life, could survive the trip and hang around for months or years on NASA equipment, LiveScience reports. More »

  • On Mars, 'Something That Looks Like Ice'

    May 31, 08 7:53 PM CDT
    On Mars, 'Something That Looks Like Ice' The Phoenix probe sent home photos today of what looks like ice just under Mars' rocky surface, Space.com reports. "The thrusters have excavated two to six inches and, sure enough, we see something that looks like ice,” one mission scientist said. NASA picked the landing spot, in the planet's northern arctic, because it likely hid ice under a thin layer of soil. More »

  • Phoenix Touches Down on Mars

    May 25, 08 7:14 PM CDT
    Phoenix Touches Down on Mars The Phoenix probe has landed safely on Mars' icy surface and begun its search for life, Space.com reports. Exultant NASA scientists are now awaiting a second radio signal to see how much power it has left—a critical element of the mission. And they await the probe's first snapshots. "I can't wait for even that first look at the surface," the mission's main investigator said. More »

This image provided by NASA shows NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit as it begins examine a group of angular rocks given informal names corresponding to peaks in the Colorado Rockies. Spirit used its...   (Associated Press)
This image provided by NASA shows an image capturing the westward view from atop a low plateau where NASA'S Mars Exploration Rover Spirit spent the closing months of 2007. It was perched near the western...   (Associated Press)
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took this picture of Mars in 2003. The possibility of a collision between Mars and an approaching asteroid has been effectively ruled out, according to scientists watching...   (Associated Press)
A photo released by NASA ,shows a patch of bright-toned soil found by the Mars Rover Spirit so rich in silica that scientists propose water must have been involved in concentrating it. (AP Photo/HO/NASA)   (Associated Press)
In this image provided by NASA a promontory nicknamed "Cape Verde" can be seen jutting out from the walls of Victoria Crater in this approximate true-color picture taken by the panoramic camera on NASA's...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 3)

Tags

NASA  • Mars  • extraterrestrial life  • rover  • salt  • microbe


Loading...

Loading...

Today's Most Popular


Other Science & Health Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »