Mars Photos Suggest Ancient Hot Springs

Possible sign that life once existed on planet

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 28, 2008 3:45 AM CDT

(Newser) – Scientists have found what look like the remains of hot springs on Mars—a sign life could have existed there, reports the Washington Post. Sophisticated equipment returned images of “mounds” that appear remarkably similar to springs found in Australia, according to scientists. They appear to have dried up tens of millions of years ago--fairly recently, in planetary terms.

“This is the first time that features so close in all of their shapes and details to springs on Earth have been reported and identified on Mars,” said one scientist. But more facts are needed, and so far, “the results are open to interpretation,” said another researcher.

A NASA false-color image of gully channels in a crater on Mars, taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera, whose recent images may show former hot springs. (AP Photo/NASA)

This image provided by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope shows a close-up of the red planet Mars when it was closest to the Hubble Space Telescope - just 55 million miles (88 million kilometers) away. (AP Photo/ NASA)

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took this picture of Mars in 2003. (AP Photo/NASA, FILE)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Mars Rover 'Curiosity' Launches

Thousands converge to watch

(AP) - The world's biggest extraterrestrial explorer is on its way to Mars. NASA today launched the six-wheeled, one-armed robotic rover, nicknamed Curiosity. An unmanned rocket blasted off with the spacecraft from Cape Canaveral. The journey to Mars will take 8 1/2 months and cover 354 million miles. Thousands of NASA guests converged on Kennedy Space Center for the launch. More»

NASA Preps Biggest-Ever Mars Rover

Can planet sustain life? Curiosity will search for clues

(NEWSER) - It’s “a Mars scientist's dream machine”: NASA is getting ready to launch its largest-ever Mars rover on Saturday. It’s not just big—it’s “the largest and most complex piece of equipment ever placed on the surface of another planet,” the agency’s Mars boss tells the AP . Curiosity, as the 7-foot-high rover is called, is equipped with a jackhammer and laser arm to break through rocks as it probes Martian soil. More»

NASA Photos Point to Flowing Water on Mars

Mud 'tendrils' flow downhill, suggesting 'briny water'

(NEWSER) - New NASA images show “tendrils” of what appears to be mud flowing down hillsides, researchers say. “It's hard to imagine they are formed by anything other than fluid seeping down slopes,” notes one scientist. The cold temperatures when the tendrils appear suggest they aren’t fresh water, the BBC reports. “The best explanation we have for these observations so far is flow of briny water, although this study does not prove that,” says the lead researcher. More»

NASA Plans to Send Men to Mars, Leave Them There

Hundred Year Spaceship could hit other planets, too

(NEWSER) - NASA is hatching an audacious plan to send astronauts into space to colonize Mars and other planets—and never return. The project, known as the Hundred Year Starship, has already received more than $1.5 million in funding, the Daily Mail reports, though that’s a small fraction of what the roughly $10 billion ship would ultimately cost. NASA’s hoping to raise money from interested billionaires—Google’s Larry Page has already expressed interest. More»

'Giant Leap' Was a 'Knee in NASA's Groin'

Ever since 1969, hope for a 'bridge to the stars' has faded

(NEWSER) - The US took a “giant leap” landing on the moon in 1969, but NASA's greatest moment of triumph was also "a real knee in the groin" for the space agency, writes Tom Wolfe in the New York Times. At the time, we thought we’d build “a bridge to the stars,” with stops at Mars, Venus, and Pluto. Instead, after Apollo 11, NASA began laying off employees. The key trouble: “NASA had neglected to recruit a corps of philosophers.” More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Mars Photos Suggest Ancient Hot Springs

Possible sign that life once existed on planet

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

NASA • Mars • space • images • geology

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Mars Rover 'Curiosity' Launches

Thousands converge to watch

NASA Preps Biggest-Ever Mars Rover

Can planet sustain life? Curiosity will search for clues

NASA Photos Point to Flowing Water on Mars

Mud 'tendrils' flow downhill, suggesting 'briny water'

NASA Plans to Send Men to Mars, Leave Them There

Hundred Year Spaceship could hit other planets, too

'Giant Leap' Was a 'Knee in NASA's Groin'

Ever since 1969, hope for a 'bridge to the stars' has faded

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

Mars Photos Suggest Ancient Hot Springs

Possible sign that life once existed on planet

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

NASA • Mars • space • images • geology

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Mars Rover 'Curiosity' Launches

Thousands converge to watch

NASA Preps Biggest-Ever Mars Rover

Can planet sustain life? Curiosity will search for clues

NASA Photos Point to Flowing Water on Mars

Mud 'tendrils' flow downhill, suggesting 'briny water'

NASA Plans to Send Men to Mars, Leave Them There

Hundred Year Spaceship could hit other planets, too

'Giant Leap' Was a 'Knee in NASA's Groin'

Ever since 1969, hope for a 'bridge to the stars' has faded

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?