Martian Meteorite May Mean Life on Mars

A tiny fragment of Martian meteorite 1.3 billion years old was recently discovered, and is helping to make the case for the possibility of life on Mars, according to scientists.

The meteorite in question, dubbed Nakhla, has an unusual feature embedded deep in the rock. Scientists from both the United Kindgom and Greece found through further analysis that Nakhla contained a "cell-like" structure, now known to have previously held water.

"In many ways it resembled a fossilized biological cell from Earth but it was intriguing because it was undoubtedly from Mars. Our research found that it probably wasn't a cell but that it did once hold water, water that had been heated, probably as a result of an asteroid impact," Professor Ian Lyon at the University of Manchester explained in a statement.

Scientists have longed searched for conclusive evidence that Mars once was, and could be a habitable planet. Just recently in the journal Geology scientists described evidence that the Red Planet possibly harbored microbial life, based on samples of ancient soil indicating that the planet was once warmer and wetter than it is today.

And these latest findings continue to add to such building evidence that beneath the surface, Mars does provide all the conditions for life to have formed and evolved.

It also supports the long-held theory that large asteroids hit Mars sometime in its past, producing hydrothermal fields that could sustain life on Mars.

Using high resolution imaging, Lyon and his team were able to reveal the atomic layers of materials inside the meteorite, thereby gaining new insights into the geological origins of this fascinating structure.

"We have been able to show the setting is there to provide life. It's not too cold, it's not too harsh. Life as we know it, in the form of bacteria, for example, could be there," Lyon said, "although we haven't found it yet. It's about piecing together the case for life on Mars - it may have existed and in some form could exist still."

The findings were published in the journal Astrobiology.