An ancient Earth impact could help in the search for Martian life
Strange cone-shaped rocks led scientists to the hidden remains of one of Earth’s oldest asteroid impacts. It could help us find fossil life on Mars.
Citations
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T. Bosak et al. Astrobiological potential of rocks obtained by the Perseverance Rover at a sedimentary fan front in Jezero Crater, Mars. AGU Advances. Vol. 5, August 2024, e2024AV001241. doi: 10.1029/2024AV001241.
R.J. Baumgartner et al. Pyritic stromatolites from the Paleoarchean Dresser Formation, Pilbara Craton: Resolving biogenicity and hydrothermally influenced ecosystem dynamics. Geobiology. Vol. 22, July/August 2024, e12610. doi: 10.1111/gbi.12610.
E.S. Kite and S. Conway. Geological proof for multiple native climate transitions on Early Mars. Nature Geoscience. Vol. 17, January 2024, p. 10. doi: 10.1038/s41561-023-01349-2.
T.M. Erickson et al. Genuine radiometric age establishes Yarrabubba, Western Australia, as Earth’s oldest known meteorite influence constructing. Nature Communications. Printed online January 21, 2020. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-13985-7.
Douglas Fox is a freelance journalist based in northern California. He modified into funded by the National Science Foundation to accelerate to Antarctica from November 2019 to January 2020.
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