Confirmed: Mars May Have Provided Life-Friendly Conditions in the Past

According to an incredible NASA news report, Curiosity found on Mars evidence that in the distant past the planet may have offered conditions for the existence of life, more specifically for the survival of microorganisms. The conclusion came after analyzing a sample obtained by drilling a rock in an area known as Yellowknife Bay .

The results revealed that the sample contained traces of nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, phosphorus and carbon, which are all indispensable ingredients for the existence of microbial life. According to space agency scientists, the material collected points out that the rocks were probably part of a drainage network or lake bed that had dried up millions of years ago, but would be an ideal environment for the survival of microorganisms.

Fossilized Microbes

Unfortunately, despite the incredible conclusion, the space probe has not yet found any evidence in the form of fossilized microbes. However, the results of the analyzes are encouraging enough for NASA to publicly declare that this is the strongest evidence ever found that life forms may have existed on another planet besides Earth.

The rock samples were analyzed by Curiosity's mineralogy and chemistry instruments, which use X-rays to measure the specific amount of minerals present in the collected material. The results showed that 20% of the perforated rock is composed of clay minerals formed in the presence of water.

In addition, space probe instruments have also detected the presence of oxidized and non-oxidized chemical elements, that is, the same combination that provides favorable conditions for the existence of microbial life here on Earth.