Planet Mars was once habitable, according to new findings

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·@ferdinandmoura1·
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Planet Mars was once habitable, according to new findings
<center>![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmcWXF4wkQgvHbspNuPDMfpQFi3k8EPo8y9JYnAa6bj8t4/image.png)
[Source](https://www.elconfidencial.com/tecnologia/ciencia/2022-03-03/curiosity-encuentra-fragil-diminuta-flor-en-marte_3385323/)</center>

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<div class="text-justify">In an exciting discovery, researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the US have suggested that Mars may have been a habitable planet in ancient times. </div><P/>
<div class="text-justify">According to a statement issued by the agency, this finding is based on analysis of the latest samples collected by the Curiosity rover.</div><P/>
<div class="text-justify">The ChemCam instrument onboard Curiosity has detected elevated levels of manganese in lake-bottom rocks in the Murray Formation, located in Mars' ancient Gale Crater. </div><P/>
<div class="text-justify">This discovery reveals intriguing facts about the chemical composition of Mars in the past and raises the possibility that the planet may have harboured life.</div><P/>
<div class="text-justify">The study has revealed that the coarse-grained rocks show a remarkable enrichment of up to 45 times in manganese and up to 1.5 times in iron compared to the average chemical composition of the fine-grained rocks of the formation. </div><P/>
<div class="text-justify">The authors of the study suggest that these deposits could have formed in a river, a delta or near the shore of an ancient lake.</div><P/>

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[Source](https://es.wired.com/articulos/curiosity-de-la-nasa-encuentra-nuevas-pruebas-de-que-marte-tuvo-agua)</center>

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<div class="text-justify">The discovery of high concentrations of manganese oxide in a coastal deposit on Mars has surprised scientists. </div><P/>
<div class="text-justify">Patrick Gasda, the scientist who led the research recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, explained: ‘It is difficult for manganese oxide to form on the surface of Mars, so we didn't expect to find it in such high concentrations in a coastal deposit’.</div><P/>
<div class="text-justify">These findings suggest that Mars may have had the right conditions to support life in the past. </div><P/>
<div class="text-justify">The enrichment of manganese and iron in the rocks of ancient Gale Crater indicates the presence of chemical and geological processes that could have supported the existence of living organisms.</div><P/>
<div class="text-justify">This discovery raises exciting questions about the history of Mars and its potential for life. </div><P/>


<center>![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmanwREbNfxXMvvQzRay7BrNbr3A9wnc64qWvgjeKEFqhc/image.png)
[Source](https://www.dw.com/es/el-r%C3%B3ver-curiosity-de-la-nasa-descubre-un-pato-en-marte/a-63718255)</center>

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<div class="text-justify">If Mars was once a habitable planet, what happened to make it the inhospitable place we know today? What factors led to the disappearance of conditions conducive to life?</div><P/>
<div class="text-justify">Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory continue to analyse samples collected by the Curiosity rover, looking for more clues about the history of Mars and its potentially habitable past. </div><P/>
<div class="text-justify">These new findings are a reminder of the importance of space exploration and the study of other planets to better understand our own origin and place in the vast universe.</div><P/>
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