spacetoday.net: Dust storms may rule out Martian life on surface

Dust storms may rule out Martian life on surface

Posted: Wed, Aug 2, 2006, 8:01 AM ET (1201 GMT)
Mars dust storm illustration (NASA)

Planet-wide dust storms that periodically form on Mars may create powerful chemicals that would inhibit the development of life on the planet's surface, according to research published this week. In papers published in the journal Astrobiology, scientists described how giant dust storms on Mars would create electrical discharges, ionizing gases in the Martian atmosphere. These ions would recombine to form new molecules, including hydrogen peroxide, that would precipitate onto the Martian surface. The peroxide would "scavenge" organic compounds on the surface, preventing life from forming. The existence of peroxide might also explain the inconclusive results from the two Viking landers in the 1970s, which carried experiments designed to look for life.