Thursday, October 14, 2004

Where has all the water gone?

The Mars Rover Opportunity has found what appears to be a mineral that forms when water evaporates. It's a very soluble mineral, and would not have lasted if water had been around for any length of time. Martian water appears to have evaporated soon after it appeared on the planet.

On Earth, life seems to have appeared almost as soon as the planet quit being absolutely deadly. Was there water on Mars for long enough for life to appear?

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