By analyzing rare Martian meteorites, researchers have uncovered a crystalline structure created by a large asteroid or comet impact that potentially affected the Red Planet’s habitability.
Mars
Posted inNews
The Bumpy Search for Liquid Water at the South Pole of Mars
Studies since 2018 have provided competing explanations of bright radar reflections from the base of the south polar ice cap.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Young Ponds on Mars
A detailed study of evaporite (chloride) deposits on Mars shows that small bodies of surface water persisted until about 2.5 Ga, more recently than previously thought.
Posted inEditors' Vox
The Mystery of Methane on Mars Thickens
Two recently published papers zoom in on the mystery source of methane in the Martian atmosphere.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Measuring Carbon Ion Loss from the Martian Atmosphere
The flux, observed with NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft, is in line with models and 1–2 orders of magnitude lower than that of oxygen ions.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Using Hematite to Decipher Past Climates and Environments
The magnetic and color properties of the mineral hematite give clues to past environmental conditions and is being used for paleoclimatic reconstruction.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Western U.S. “Megafloods” Might Not Have Been So Mega
The flooding that carved eastern Washington State 20,000 to 12,000 years ago could have been 80% smaller than the canyons’ volume today.
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A New Explanation for Organics on a Mars Rock That Fell to Earth
Organic molecules on a Martian meteorite have fueled nearly 30 years of scientific debate. New evidence suggests they were formed by Martian processes, offering more support for a once habitable environment on the Red Planet.