New evidence finds Mars may have had conditions that could have supported life

Nicole Mortillaro · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 17, 2025 2:02 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

A caller survey led by a University of Calgary idiosyncratic has recovered grounds that suggests Mars erstwhile had a c cycle, giving further enactment for the past habitability of the reddish planet.

Using information collected from the Mars rover Curiosity, a squad of scientists recovered an robust carbonate mineral called siderite successful the planet's Gale Crater.

It's believed that this mineral formed done the process of h2o evaporating, and past being deposited successful pores connected the Martian surface. 

These findings around the sequestration of CO2 suggest that 3½ billion years ago, Mars had a precise heavy ambiance and flowing water, making it a habitable environment.

The uncovering of sederite was surprising, the scientists said, peculiarly due to the fact that orbital measurements taken by satellites hadn't been capable to observe immoderate siderite.

"[The samples] incorporate CO2, which we've been predicting for decades that should beryllium there, but they weren't needfully forthcoming successful astir of the missions to date," said Ben Tutolo, the paper's pb author and an subordinate prof astatine the University of Calgary's module of science.

Earlier orbital information had recovered magnesium sulfates, Tutolo said, much commonly known arsenic epsom salts present connected Earth.

"Then erstwhile we get determination connected the crushed with the drill, we find that it contains much siderite than immoderate deposit that's ever truly been investigated connected Mars," Tutolo said. "So that's a surprise, right?

"And past we person to spell back: Did each of those [scientists] that were doing each this precise cautious work, looking astatine this data, miss something?"

The reply was no: It was simply that the siderite was masked by the magnesium sulfate salts.

These caller findings are a testament to the worth of the Curiosity rover, said Chris Herd, a planetary geologist and professor at the University of Calgary who was not progressive successful the study. Since landing successful 2012, the car-sized has travelled much than 33 kilometres crossed the reddish planet's surface, collecting rock, ungraded and aerial samples.

"The rover has been going for implicit 12 years present and inactive going strong," helium said. 

"It's a testament to the squad itself, to the subject team, that they're capable to proceed to get specified large data. And not conscionable get the data, but really marque usage of it, interpreting it successful a precise meaningful way."

Life connected Mars?

Though conditions were close for a habitable situation connected Mars, it doesn't mean it was steadily habitable.

"Even though these sediments successful Gale Crater were laid down astir 3½ billion years ago, the planet's astir 4½ billion years old. It didn't person continually habitable conditions," explained Tutolo.

Instead, immoderate theorize that the conditions went backmost and distant betwixt habitable conditions, to dry, inhospitable conditions.

"It seems similar whenever the h2o was contiguous connected the aboveground of Mars, much apt than not, that h2o was habitable — it was susceptible of originating life," Tutolo said.

"The question is, if beingness originated, but past you spell backmost into these conditions, astatine slightest periodically, that are not habitable, what does that mean for the semipermanent improvement of Mars and the imaginable that it ever originated life?"

Closer to home

Carbon sequestration — taking c retired of the ambiance and putting it underground — is thing that assorted companies and institutions are looking astatine present astatine home.

On Earth, it happens naturally. But owed to sheet tectonics and our c cycle, it's mostly balanced: We merchandise and store much oregon little the aforesaid amount. But Mars' c rhythm is imbalanced, meaning much c was stored than was released, dissimilar our ain c rhythm present connected Earth.

However, owed to humans releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, it's present go imbalanced present connected Earth, which is wherefore scientists are trying assorted ways of c capture.

WATCH | Canada eyed arsenic aboriginal person for removing c from air: 

Tutolo is 1 of those scientists, getting a PhD by moving connected carbon-dioxide sequestration arsenic a clime alteration solution.

"So, reasoning astir capturing c dioxide astatine constituent sources, specified arsenic earthy state oregon coal-fired powerfulness plants, and injecting it heavy underground truthful that it doesn't lukewarm the atmosphere," helium said. 

"To me, it's truly rather fulfilling to instrumentality that aforesaid cognition basal and use it to the past of c sequestration and clime alteration connected Mars."

Meanwhile, Herd is excited astir the adjacent steps to corroborate habitability connected Mars. He's a subordinate of the NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission, which is seeking to return Mars samples to Earth, though its plans person been temporarily paused amid ballooning costs and stretched timelines.

"I deliberation that's the next-level benignant of investigation that could beryllium done — [that] needs to beryllium done," helium said. "In labs connected Earth."

For Tutolo, helium says he's blessed to proceed seeking climate solutions present astatine home, while besides moving toward a better knowing of Mars' past climate.

"The bully happening astir Mars is that there's truthful galore unanswered questions that it's hard to beryllium bored."