Today in TechIt turns out Mars might have flowing water after all
In the storied search for possible signs of life on Mars — either past or present — scientists now have their best evidence yet that life-giving water may still exist on the barren planet. A series of high-quality photos from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter seems to show water flowing on the red planet over a number of months.
The time-lapse shots appear to show liquid running down the planet's rocky landscape to form long, dark flow patterns. Scientists' best guess is that the flows are salty water, which warms up just enough during the planet's summer months to melt and slosh around on the surface. Signs that Mars once had flowing water have been seen before, but this is the first time that such markings have been observed changing over a short period of time.
We've known for some time that frozen water does still exist on the planet, and it has been detected near the surface in certain regions. If subsurface water warmed enough to melt, it could possibly create the narrow flows that the Mars orbiter observed, though scientists still aren't positive.
The dark color of the flow markings is also a bit of a puzzle for researchers. "The flows are not dark because of being wet," notes Alfred McEwen, the University of Arizona researcher who initially broke news of the observations, "They are dark for some other reason. It's a mystery now, but I think it's a solvable mystery with further observations and laboratory experiments."
The existence of water wouldn't necessarily mean that life in some form has ever graced the planet, but it would certainly boost the chances. The liquid that now appears to be marking the surface is thought to be of roughly the same salinity as Earth's oceans, which, while not drinkable by humans, could still have supported a plethora of living creatures.
[via NASA]
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