Latest news with #ClaireCousins
Perth Now
12-05-2025
- Science
- Perth Now
Scientists searching for traces of extraterrestrial life in Scotland
Aliens Credit: BANG - Entertainment News BANG - Entertainment News Bang Showbiz Scientists are scouring Scotland for traces of extraterrestrial life. A team from the University of St. Andrews has been testing cameras in the Scottish Highlands township, Lower Diabaig, for a new robot rover by the European Space Agency that is set to be sent to space in 2028. And as part of their research, they are using tech to find biology in billion-year-old rocks, such as mudstone, that have not metamorphosed. Doctor Claire Cousins said on the BBC programme 'Landward': "The rocks haven't metamorphosed right. They haven't been cooked and squeezed and crushed. "These are perfect for showing us there was once liquid water - a habitable environment for life."
The National
11-05-2025
- Science
- The National
Mars rover technology tested out in Scottish Highlands
A team from the University of St Andrews has been testing equipment in Lower Diabaig in Torridon, where there are rocks that are billions of years old and similar to those found on Mars. The European Space Agency (ESA) is planning to send a robotic rover to Mars to study its geology and look for fossils and minerals, the BBC reports. So far, the trials in Torridon have considered the type of cameras which should be used as the rover's "eyes", as well as tests on equipment that can detect ancient biology preserved in the rock. READ MORE: Update as huge wildfire continues to burn in West Lothian amid 'extreme warning' The robot is named after London-born scientist Rosalind Franklin, who died in 1958. ESA said the missions would tackle the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars. The project, known as the ExoMars programme, is made up of two missions. The First, called Trace Gas Orbiter, was launched in 2016. The second mission has a target launch of 2028 and aims to land the rover on Mars. Many geological areas and features on Mars have been named by Nasa after places on Earth, including in Scotland. Some of the names taken from Scotland include Torridon, Holyrood, Siccar Point, Muck, Wick and Sandwick. Dr Claire Cousins, from the University of St Andrews, said the rare geology around Lower Diabaig was "ideal" for testing the rover. READ MORE: I visited Donald Trump's ancestral homeland. This is what I learned about him She told BBC Scotland's Landward programme: "The rocks haven't metamorphosed right, they haven't been cooked and squeezed and crushed under mountain belts. "They have been beautifully preserved – a slice of time. "We don't know yet if there was ever life on Mars, but these are the kinds of rocks that are going to preserve it."
