spacetoday.net: Perchlorate detected in Martian soil

Posted: Wed, Aug 6, 2008, 8:50 AM ET (1250 GMT)
Phoenix Mars lander illustration (Univ. of Arizona)

Scientists with NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander mission said Tuesday that they have detected traces of perchlorate in samples of Martian soil analyzed by the spacecraft, but that the discovery did not necessarily have positive or negative implications to life on the Red Planet. In an unusual teleconference prompted by rumors and reports of a major discovery in the last several days, scientists said they had detected perchlorate with one instrument, MECA, but not with another, TEGA, although scientists added they had detected a strong oxygen signal in one TEGA sample that could be consistent with the presence of perchlorates. Scientists said if perchlorates do exist, it doesn't necessarily prove or rule out the presence of microbial life on Mars; while perchlorates can be toxic to some forms of life, it is a source of energy for others.