Orbiter Detects Signs of Possible Volcanic Activity on Mars (futurism.com) 11
Futurism reports:
While many scientists have long held that Mars is "geologically dead" inside, new research is adding to the growing body of evidence to the contrary.
As detailed in a new paper published in the journal Science Advances, an international team of researchers examined data collected by the European and Russian ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter in 2021, which found that Mars is slowly belching hydrogen chloride gas. The researchers suggest this gas is being released from hot magma deep beneath its surface after discovering intriguing new fissures along a massive volcano, indicating the planet may be geologically active after all — or at least it was until relatively recently.
The research could have significant implications for the possibility of ancient life on the Red Planet, hinting at a far warmer and thicker atmosphere — and an abundance of liquid water on its surface — in its not-too-distant past.... The team discovered new fissures measuring thousands of feet in length... suggesting ongoing activity underneath the surface. The researchers discovered discolorations along these fissures, concluding that they may be the result of seeping gases leaving mineral deposits similar to volcanic gas vents on Earth... The fissures could also be a perfect place to find evidence of past life on the Red Planet [argued Daniel Mège, the study's colead author and a Polish Academy of Sciences professor]... "If hydrothermal systems are active, they could contain the ingredients and energy needed for microorganisms to develop, and shield microorganisms from the hostile and changing environment above the surface."
As detailed in a new paper published in the journal Science Advances, an international team of researchers examined data collected by the European and Russian ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter in 2021, which found that Mars is slowly belching hydrogen chloride gas. The researchers suggest this gas is being released from hot magma deep beneath its surface after discovering intriguing new fissures along a massive volcano, indicating the planet may be geologically active after all — or at least it was until relatively recently.
The research could have significant implications for the possibility of ancient life on the Red Planet, hinting at a far warmer and thicker atmosphere — and an abundance of liquid water on its surface — in its not-too-distant past.... The team discovered new fissures measuring thousands of feet in length... suggesting ongoing activity underneath the surface. The researchers discovered discolorations along these fissures, concluding that they may be the result of seeping gases leaving mineral deposits similar to volcanic gas vents on Earth... The fissures could also be a perfect place to find evidence of past life on the Red Planet [argued Daniel Mège, the study's colead author and a Polish Academy of Sciences professor]... "If hydrothermal systems are active, they could contain the ingredients and energy needed for microorganisms to develop, and shield microorganisms from the hostile and changing environment above the surface."
Who still said it was dead ? (Score:5, Interesting)
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia22432-young-lava-flows/
Re: (Score:1)
Also, understand that "geologically dead" has a very specific meaning, and it may not mean what you think it does.
Re: (Score:2)
It turns out it takes a lot to keep the attention of planetary geologists. If it doesn't have hundreds of mile-high volcanoes, it's "dead" to them.
Re: Who still said it was dead ? (Score:2)
I, too, was under the distinct impression that Mars was still volcanically active. I wish I could recall the exact details of how I came across this impression. Perhaps it was just all the talk of volcanic glass and lava tubes. Or just the fact that it's rocky and rugged, with implied plate tectonics, and subsequent vulcanism.
Microorgamisms (Score:1)
"they could contain the ingredients and energy needed for microorganisms to develop, and shield microorganisms from the hostile and changing environment above the surface."
Yeah maybe, but life took 1 billion years to evolve on earth and that was in a MUCH bigger ocean with far more nutrients and more energy from the sun so what are the chances it evolved on mars before the oceans evaporated? I suspect rather slim.
Re:Microorgamisms (Score:5, Informative)
However you can bore a hole into any part on the planet kilometers deep: and find strange microbes that live directly inside of solid rock. No ocean required. Or atmosphere.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Simple single cell organisms are in general immortal ... plenty of them are considered thousands and more years old. Difficult to measure, as they do not eat carbon. So C14 analysis does not work.
hey do not eat carbon. (Score:2)
So what do they eat?
And if they are immortal, do you have to chop their head off and see if you get a thunderstorm that wrecks all the street lights?
Re: (Score:2)
If they need carbon for their metabolism, they get it out of the rock.
Point is: you can not carbon date them, as they are not part of the sun/CO2 C14 cycle.
I guess you can google how they might have evolved. I only know they exist, did not memorize anything special about them.
Re: Microorgamisms (Score:1)
What a crock. Just because they live in the rock doesnt mean they evolved there and secondly if they dont eat carbon where do they get it from or do you think they have none in them?
Re: Microorgamisms (Score:3)
"Just because they live in the rock doesnt mean they evolved there"
It's pretty uncommon for a species to evolve for such an environment in a completely different environment. Species generally need to evolve as their habitats change. It stands to reason the adaptations that allow it to live in rock were made while living in slightly more accessible rock. Which they lived in with evolutions from slightly more accessible rock. All the way up to organisms who evolved in the soil from others that evolved from s
Re: (Score:2)
Ok, wrong terminology. Arose instead of evolved.