China’s Mars rover finds evidence of liquid water on the Red Planet, may lead to proof of alien life

By now, all the missions to Mars, and the various studies that we have done using images from the Red Planet, we know that Mars was once a completely different place than it is today, with an Earth-like temperature and an ocean running across its surface.

What has remained a mystery is where all of this water went, with scientists speculating that the majority of it was trapped in the planet’s outer layer, or crust. This led to the prevalent notion that it only occurs in solid form in rocks and as a gas in water vapour, however, an intriguing recent finding reveals that it also exists in liquid form.

Changing Notions:

The discovery is significant because it might supply the necessary components to give rise to alien life today. China’s Zhurong rover, which landed on Mars in 2021, found evidence of this liquid water on sand dunes in low latitudes, i.e. closer to the equator and away from the planet’s poles.

According to scientists, liquid water occurs when salts in the dunes melt ice at low temperatures. However, because Mars is too cold for water to remain liquid on the surface for long, this state is likely to last only a short time.

An international team of experts proposed last year that liquid water may exist under Mars’ south polar ice cap, and it was discovered in 2009 on a leg of the Mars Phoenix Lander in the planet’s northern region.

Based on the temperature of the leg and the presence of high levels of “perchlorate” salts identified in the soil, scientists concluded that the droplets were most likely salty liquid water and dirt that splashed on the spacecraft when it touched down. 

Water not in just ice or gaseous forms, but liquid as well

This current research, however, is the first to provide observable evidence of liquid water at low latitudes rather than high latitudes. This is significant because surface temperatures are warmer around the equator, implying that circumstances are more conducive for life than those closer to the planet’s poles.

“This is crucial for understanding the evolutionary history of the Martian climate, seeking for a livable environment, and offering critical clues for future searches for life,” said Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Professor QIN Xiaoguang, who led the research.

He and his colleagues analysed data from the Zhurong rover’s Navigation and Terrain Camera (NaTeCam), Multispectral Camera (MSCam), and Mars Surface Composition Detector (MarSCoDe).

They were able to investigate the surface characteristics and material compositions of dunes in the rover’s landing region as a result. The surface layer of the dune was found to be rich in hydrated sulphates, hydrated silica, iron oxide minerals, and perhaps chlorides, according to their investigation.

“We inferred that these dune surface characteristics were related to the involvement of liquid saline water formed by the subsequent melting of frost/snow falling on the salt-containing dune surfaces when cooling occurs based on the measured meteorological data from Zhurong and other Mars rovers,” said Professor QIN.

The researchers provided a hypothesis for the formation of this liquid water.

Unlike Earth, Mars’ obliquity (or tilt) fluctuates dramatically over timeframes ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of years. Ice is present in relatively small quantities at Mars’ north and south poles at today’s 25-degree tilt on its rotating axis. 

However, research has shown that when Mars tilts more, ice accumulates near the equator, while the poles grow larger at very low obliquities. According to the authors of the new study, low latitudes chill during Mars’ great obliquity, which leads to frost and snow, which hardens dunes and leaves signs of salt water.

Despite the fact that very low pressure and water vapour content make it difficult for liquid water to exist sustainably on the planet today. As a result, scientists assumed that water could only exist in solid or gaseous forms.

Possible indications of life on Mars?

Until now, no evidence had indicated the presence of liquid water at low latitudes on Mars, so the discovery is potentially exciting. It implies that there are some conditions under which liquid water might arise in some places of modern-day Mars.

Previous research has indicated that the Red Planet may have retained enough water to cover its whole surface in a layer 330ft (100m) to half a mile (1km) thick.

This occurred more than four billion years ago, when Mars was warmer and wetter, and its atmosphere was perhaps thicker. However, when this disappeared, the planet’s climate changed dramatically, giving rise to the world we see today.

The latest finding will help NASA’s Perseverance rover, which is now hunting for traces of previous life in an old crater lake. It is gathering samples that will be returned to Earth for study in the 2030s. 

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