Latest news with #liquidwater
The Independent
20-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Scientists reveal research that could change theories about life on Mars
New research has challenged a long held theory about a peculiar Martian landmark, potentially changing the way scientists understand the red planet's capacity to sustain life. The findings call into question the theory that dark streaks on Martian slopes indicate the presence of liquid water, suggesting instead that these features are the result of dry processes. A study of roughly half a million of these streaks, captured in satellite imagery dating back to the 1970s, points to the accumulation and movement of dust as the likely culprit, reinforcing the image of Mars as a dry, inhospitable planet. Scientists analysed approximately 87,000 satellite images, including data from NASA 's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, focusing on these transient streaks. Co-leader of the study Adomas Valantinas said: "The tiny dust particles can create flow-like patterns without liquid. This phenomenon occurs because extremely fine dust can behave similarly to a liquid when disturbed - flowing, branching and creating finger-like patterns as it moves downslope" The postdoctoral researcher in planetary sciences at Brown University added: "It's similar to how dry sand can flow like water when poured. But on Mars, the ultra-fine particles and low gravity enhance these fluid-like properties, creating features that might be mistaken for water flows when they're actually just dry material in motion." The streaks, which appear suddenly and fade over several years, typically measure between 1,970 and 2,540 feet long and often exhibit branching patterns as they navigate around obstacles. The study proposes that fine dust particles from the Martian atmosphere settle on sloped terrain. Events like wind gusts, meteorite impacts, or marsquakes then dislodge this accumulated dust, causing it to flow down the slopes, creating the streaked appearance. This contradicts previous interpretations that considered these streaks as potential signs of liquid water flows, and therefore, possible habitats for life. The streaks are predominantly located in the northern hemisphere of Mars, clustered in three main regions: Elysium Planitia, Arabia Terra, and the Tharsis volcanic plateau, home to the immense Olympus Mons volcano. Researchers said limitations in the resolution of the satellite images mean they account for only a fraction of slope streaks. They estimated the actual number at up to two million. Water is considered an essential ingredient for life. Mars billions of years ago was wetter and warmer than it is today. The question remains whether Mars has any liquid water on its surface when temperatures seasonally can edge above the freezing point. It remains possible that small amounts of water - perhaps sourced from buried ice, subsurface aquifers or abnormally humid air - could mix with enough salt in the ground to create a flow even on the frigid Martian surface. That raises the possibility that the slope streaks, if caused by wet conditions, could be habitable niches. "Generally, it is very difficult for liquid water to exist on the Martian surface, due to the low temperature and the low atmospheric pressure. But brines - very salty water - might potentially be able to exist for short periods of time," said planetary geomorphologist and study co-leader Valentin Bickel of the University of Bern in Switzerland. Given the massive volume of images, the researchers employed an advanced machine-learning method, looking for correlations involving temperature patterns, atmospheric dust deposition, meteorite impacts, the nature of the terrain and other factors. The geostatistical analysis found that slope streaks often appear in the dustiest regions and correlate with wind patterns, while some form near the sites of fresh impacts and quakes. The researchers also studied shorter-lived features called recurring slope lineae, or RSL, seen primarily in the Martian southern highlands. These grow in the summer and fade the following winter. The data suggested that these also were associated with dry processes such as dust devils - whirlwinds of dust - and rockfalls. The analysis found that both types of features were not typically associated with factors indicative of a liquid or frost origin such as high surface temperature fluctuations, high humidity or specific slope orientations. "It all comes back to habitability and the search for life," Bickel said. "If slope streaks and RSL would really be driven by liquid water or brines, they could create a niche for life. However, if they are not tied to wet processes, this allows us to focus our attention on other, more promising locations."
The Independent
19-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Major theory about potential for life on Mars called into question by researchers
New research has challenged a long held theory about a peculiar Martian landmark, potentially changing the way scientists understand the red planet's capacity to sustain life. The findings call into question the theory that dark streaks on Martian slopes indicate the presence of liquid water, suggesting instead that these features are the result of dry processes. A study of roughly half a million of these streaks, captured in satellite imagery dating back to the 1970s, points to the accumulation and movement of dust as the likely culprit, reinforcing the image of Mars as a dry, inhospitable planet. Scientists analysed approximately 87,000 satellite images, including data from NASA 's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, focusing on these transient streaks. Co-leader of the study Adomas Valantinas said: "The tiny dust particles can create flow-like patterns without liquid. This phenomenon occurs because extremely fine dust can behave similarly to a liquid when disturbed - flowing, branching and creating finger-like patterns as it moves downslope" The postdoctoral researcher in planetary sciences at Brown University added: "It's similar to how dry sand can flow like water when poured. But on Mars, the ultra-fine particles and low gravity enhance these fluid-like properties, creating features that might be mistaken for water flows when they're actually just dry material in motion." The streaks, which appear suddenly and fade over several years, typically measure between 1,970 and 2,540 feet long and often exhibit branching patterns as they navigate around obstacles. The study proposes that fine dust particles from the Martian atmosphere settle on sloped terrain. Events like wind gusts, meteorite impacts, or marsquakes then dislodge this accumulated dust, causing it to flow down the slopes, creating the streaked appearance. This contradicts previous interpretations that considered these streaks as potential signs of liquid water flows, and therefore, possible habitats for life. The streaks are predominantly located in the northern hemisphere of Mars, clustered in three main regions: Elysium Planitia, Arabia Terra, and the Tharsis volcanic plateau, home to the immense Olympus Mons volcano. Researchers said limitations in the resolution of the satellite images mean they account for only a fraction of slope streaks. They estimated the actual number at up to two million. Water is considered an essential ingredient for life. Mars billions of years ago was wetter and warmer than it is today. The question remains whether Mars has any liquid water on its surface when temperatures seasonally can edge above the freezing point. It remains possible that small amounts of water - perhaps sourced from buried ice, subsurface aquifers or abnormally humid air - could mix with enough salt in the ground to create a flow even on the frigid Martian surface. That raises the possibility that the slope streaks, if caused by wet conditions, could be habitable niches. "Generally, it is very difficult for liquid water to exist on the Martian surface, due to the low temperature and the low atmospheric pressure. But brines - very salty water - might potentially be able to exist for short periods of time," said planetary geomorphologist and study co-leader Valentin Bickel of the University of Bern in Switzerland. Given the massive volume of images, the researchers employed an advanced machine-learning method, looking for correlations involving temperature patterns, atmospheric dust deposition, meteorite impacts, the nature of the terrain and other factors. The geostatistical analysis found that slope streaks often appear in the dustiest regions and correlate with wind patterns, while some form near the sites of fresh impacts and quakes. The researchers also studied shorter-lived features called recurring slope lineae, or RSL, seen primarily in the Martian southern highlands. These grow in the summer and fade the following winter. The data suggested that these also were associated with dry processes such as dust devils - whirlwinds of dust - and rockfalls. The analysis found that both types of features were not typically associated with factors indicative of a liquid or frost origin such as high surface temperature fluctuations, high humidity or specific slope orientations. "It all comes back to habitability and the search for life," Bickel said. "If slope streaks and RSL would really be driven by liquid water or brines, they could create a niche for life. However, if they are not tied to wet processes, this allows us to focus our attention on other, more promising locations."
Reuters
19-05-2025
- Science
- Reuters
Study casts doubt on water flows as cause of streaks on Martian slopes
WASHINGTON, May 19 (Reuters) - Images taken of Mars from orbit dating back as far as the 1970s have captured curious dark streaks running down the sides of cliffs and crater walls that some scientists have construed as possible evidence of flows of liquid water, suggesting that the planet harbors environments suitable for living organisms. A new study casts doubt on that interpretation. Examining about 500,000 of these sinewy features spotted in satellite images, the researchers concluded they were created probably through dry processes that left the superficial appearance of liquid flows, underscoring the view of Mars as a desert planet currently inhospitable to life - at least on its surface. The data indicated that formation of these streaks is driven by the accumulation of fine-grain dust from the Martian atmosphere on sloped terrain that is then knocked down the slopes by triggers such as wind gusts, meteorite impacts and marsquakes. "The tiny dust particles can create flow-like patterns without liquid. This phenomenon occurs because extremely fine dust can behave similarly to a liquid when disturbed - flowing, branching and creating finger-like patterns as it moves downslope," said Adomas Valantinas, a postdoctoral researcher in planetary sciences at Brown University and co-leader of the study published on Monday in the journal Nature Communications, opens new tab. "It's similar to how dry sand can flow like water when poured. But on Mars, the ultra-fine particles and low gravity enhance these fluid-like properties, creating features that might be mistaken for water flows when they're actually just dry material in motion," Valantinas added. The study examined about 87,000 satellite images - including those obtained between 2006 and 2020 by a camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter - of slope streaks, which form suddenly and fade over a period of years. They average roughly 1,970-2,540 feet (600-775 meters) long, sometimes branching out and going around obstacles. The slope streaks were concentrated mostly in the northern hemisphere, particularly in three major clusters: at the plains of Elysium Planitia, the highlands of Arabia Terra and the vast Tharsis volcanic plateau including the Olympus Mons volcano, towering about three times higher than Mount Everest. The researchers said limitations in the resolution of the satellite images mean they account for only a fraction of slope streaks. They estimated the actual number at up to two million. Water is considered an essential ingredient for life. Mars billions of years ago was wetter and warmer than it is today. The question remains whether Mars has any liquid water on its surface when temperatures seasonally can edge above the freezing point. It remains possible that small amounts of water - perhaps sourced from buried ice, subsurface aquifers or abnormally humid air - could mix with enough salt in the ground to create a flow even on the frigid Martian surface. That raises the possibility that the slope streaks, if caused by wet conditions, could be habitable niches. "Generally, it is very difficult for liquid water to exist on the Martian surface, due to the low temperature and the low atmospheric pressure. But brines - very salty water - might potentially be able to exist for short periods of time," said planetary geomorphologist and study co-leader Valentin Bickel of the University of Bern in Switzerland. Given the massive volume of images, the researchers employed an advanced machine-learning method, looking for correlations involving temperature patterns, atmospheric dust deposition, meteorite impacts, the nature of the terrain and other factors. The geostatistical analysis found that slope streaks often appear in the dustiest regions and correlate with wind patterns, while some form near the sites of fresh impacts and quakes. The researchers also studied shorter-lived features called recurring slope lineae, or RSL, seen primarily in the Martian southern highlands. These grow in the summer and fade the following winter. The data suggested that these also were associated with dry processes such as dust devils - whirlwinds of dust - and rockfalls. The analysis found that both types of features were not typically associated with factors indicative of a liquid or frost origin such as high surface temperature fluctuations, high humidity or specific slope orientations. "It all comes back to habitability and the search for life," Bickel said. "If slope streaks and RSL would really be driven by liquid water or brines, they could create a niche for life. However, if they are not tied to wet processes, this allows us to focus our attention on other, more promising locations."
CNA
19-05-2025
- Science
- CNA
Study casts doubt on water flows as cause of streaks on Martian slopes
WASHINGTON :Images taken of Mars from orbit dating back as far as the 1970s have captured curious dark streaks running down the sides of cliffs and crater walls that some scientists have construed as possible evidence of flows of liquid water, suggesting that the planet harbors environments suitable for living organisms. A new study casts doubt on that interpretation. Examining about 500,000 of these sinewy features spotted in satellite images, the researchers concluded they were created probably through dry processes that left the superficial appearance of liquid flows, underscoring the view of Mars as a desert planet currently inhospitable to life - at least on its surface. The data indicated that formation of these streaks is driven by the accumulation of fine-grain dust from the Martian atmosphere on sloped terrain that is then knocked down the slopes by triggers such as wind gusts, meteorite impacts and marsquakes. "The tiny dust particles can create flow-like patterns without liquid. This phenomenon occurs because extremely fine dust can behave similarly to a liquid when disturbed - flowing, branching and creating finger-like patterns as it moves downslope," said Adomas Valantinas, a postdoctoral researcher in planetary sciences at Brown University and co-leader of the study published on Monday in the journal Nature Communications. "It's similar to how dry sand can flow like water when poured. But on Mars, the ultra-fine particles and low gravity enhance these fluid-like properties, creating features that might be mistaken for water flows when they're actually just dry material in motion," Valantinas added. The study examined about 87,000 satellite images - including those obtained between 2006 and 2020 by a camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter - of slope streaks, which form suddenly and fade over a period of years. They average roughly 1,970-2,540 feet (600-775 meters) long, sometimes branching out and going around obstacles. The slope streaks were concentrated mostly in the northern hemisphere, particularly in three major clusters: at the plains of Elysium Planitia, the highlands of Arabia Terra and the vast Tharsis volcanic plateau including the Olympus Mons volcano, towering about three times higher than Mount Everest. The researchers said limitations in the resolution of the satellite images mean they account for only a fraction of slope streaks. They estimated the actual number at up to two million. Water is considered an essential ingredient for life. Mars billions of years ago was wetter and warmer than it is today. The question remains whether Mars has any liquid water on its surface when temperatures seasonally can edge above the freezing point. It remains possible that small amounts of water - perhaps sourced from buried ice, subsurface aquifers or abnormally humid air - could mix with enough salt in the ground to create a flow even on the frigid Martian surface. That raises the possibility that the slope streaks, if caused by wet conditions, could be habitable niches. "Generally, it is very difficult for liquid water to exist on the Martian surface, due to the low temperature and the low atmospheric pressure. But brines - very salty water - might potentially be able to exist for short periods of time," said planetary geomorphologist and study co-leader Valentin Bickel of the University of Bern in Switzerland. Given the massive volume of images, the researchers employed an advanced machine-learning method, looking for correlations involving temperature patterns, atmospheric dust deposition, meteorite impacts, the nature of the terrain and other factors. The geostatistical analysis found that slope streaks often appear in the dustiest regions and correlate with wind patterns, while some form near the sites of fresh impacts and quakes. The researchers also studied shorter-lived features called recurring slope lineae, or RSL, seen primarily in the Martian southern highlands. These grow in the summer and fade the following winter. The data suggested that these also were associated with dry processes such as dust devils - whirlwinds of dust - and rockfalls. The analysis found that both types of features were not typically associated with factors indicative of a liquid or frost origin such as high surface temperature fluctuations, high humidity or specific slope orientations. "It all comes back to habitability and the search for life," Bickel said. "If slope streaks and RSL would really be driven by liquid water or brines, they could create a niche for life. However, if they are not tied to wet processes, this allows us to focus our attention on other, more promising locations."
South China Morning Post
13-05-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
‘Marsquakes' point to liquid water in red planet's crust, study finds
Liquid water may be locked in rock just a few kilometres beneath Martian ground – much closer to the surface of the red planet than previously thought. Using data from Nasa's now-retired InSight lander, a China-led international team of researchers analysed seismic waves from ' marsquakes ' and meteorite impacts recorded between 2018 and 2022. They revealed a mysterious zone in the planet's crust they said was best explained by a layer of water-saturated rock. 01:08 China's Zhu Rong rover discovers evidence of an ancient sea on Mars China's Zhu Rong rover discovers evidence of an ancient sea on Mars If confirmed, this underground layer – between 5.4km and 8km (3.3-5 miles) deep – could hold as much water as a global layer up to 780 metres (2,550 feet) thick, according to their paper published in National Science Review last month. The amount matched what scientists believe to be Mars' missing water , after taking into account the water that has escaped into space, become locked into rocks or remains as ice and vapour, said the researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Australian National University and the University of Milano-Bicocca. 'Our results provide the first seismic evidence of liquid water at the base of the Martian upper crust, shaping our understanding of Mars' water cycle and the potential evolution of habitable environments on the planet,' they wrote in the paper. Nasa's InSight lander arrived on Mars in 2018 with a unique mission: not to roam the surface, but to listen to what was happening beneath it. For four years, it used a sensitive seismometer to detect subtle ground movements caused by crustal stress and meteorite impacts.
