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NASA finds evidence of water on Mars

Red Planet not so red after all?

Scientists have found the first evidence that briny water may flow on the surface of Mars during the planet’s summer months, a paper published on Monday showed.

Although the source and the chemistry of the water is unknown, the discovery could affect thinking about whether the planet that is most like Earth in the solar system could support present day microbial life. Strong evidence for seasonal flows of liquid salty water have been detected by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, confirming that salty water flowing down Martian slopes is responsible for seasonal dark streaks seen in spots on the planet’s surface.

Water is one of the key requirements for life and such a discovery would significantly boost chances of alien beings on Mars.

The new study looked at streaks that form on some slopes on Mars during warmer times of the year. Scientists previously suspected they might be caused by flowing, salty water. Now, reports claim that they have detected the chemical signatures of brines in the streaks that suggest those streaks form as the result of “water activity on Mars” that’s still happening today.

Whatever the water’s source, the prospect of liquid water, even seasonally, raises the intriguing prospect that Mars, which is presumed to be a cold and dead planet, could support life today.

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