Around 3.5bn years ago conditions on Earth and Mars were similar. Might small traces of life have survived on the freezing desert of Mars?
AROUND 3.5BN years ago conditions on Earth and Mars were similar. Both had thick atmospheres and liquid water on their surfaces. Both, in other words, had the conditions required to sustain life. And on one of those planets life was, indeed, sustained. Precisely when biology began on Earth remains obscure. But by 3.5bn years ago, a billion years after the solar system formed, it was well established there and has since evolved into the lush abundance of complex forms seen today.
On Earth, some of the oldest evidence for life comes in the form of stromatolites. These stratified structures form in shallow water when colonies of microbes grow layer upon layer, trapping minerals as they do so. The most ancient examples are thought to be those found in Greenland in 2016, which have been dated to 3.7bn years before the present day.
Not all of those samples will be discarded after investigation. Some will be packed for eventual dispatch to Earth by a project called the Mars Sample Return mission. This is a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency, ESA, that involves launching five separate spacecraft over the course of a decade.
’s. In particular, the Mars Organic Molecule Analyser will be able to extract organic molecules from rocks and regolith more effectively than before.
日本 最新ニュース, 日本 見出し
Similar News:他のニュース ソースから収集した、これに似たニュース記事を読むこともできます。
UAE Joins Growing List Of Nations That Have Sent Spacecraft To MarsThe United Arab Emirates has successfully launched an orbital probe named 'Amal,' or 'Hope,' to Mars. It will spend the next 7 months on its journey, where it'll then gather information about the red planet's atmosphere.
続きを読む »
With Mars launch, UAE begins the Arab world’s first interplanetary missionThe United Arab Emirates is sending a spacecraft into orbit around Mars, the first interplanetary mission from the Arab world.
続きを読む »
The UAE successfully launches Mars probe, making history for the Arab worldThe U.S. and China are also launching their own Mars missions — expected to reach the planet's orbit around the same time as the Hope probe.
続きを読む »
Mars is the latest arena in the US-China rivalryTwo years after humans last landed a probe on Mars, both the United States and China are launching missions to the red planet this month and setting up a new arena for their growing rivalry.
続きを読む »
First Deep Space Mission By An Arab Country Is On Its Way To Mars. This Is What It Will DoAfter a few false starts due to bad weather, the Emirates Mars Mission and its 'Hope' probe has successfully launched with the red planet as its destination
続きを読む »