spacetoday.net: Scientists detect evidence of liquid water on Mars

Posted: Fri, Oct 2, 2015, 1:06 PM ET (1706 GMT)
Recurring slope lineae on Mars (NASA)

Scientists said this week that they have detected evidence of temporary, periodic flows of liquid water on the surface of Mars, increasing the chances that the planet could still be hospitable to life today. In a paper published in Nature Geoscience and announced at a NASA press conference, scientists said they detected hydrated salts in dark streaks occasionally seen on the sides of craters on the planet. Those salts, scientists said, most likely formed in the presence of at least trace amounts of liquid water that formed those streaks. The discovery adds to the evidence that Mars was once a more hopsitable world, and could still possibly support life beneath its surface. The water could also be a resource for future astronauts, although planetary protection concerns may make if difficult for future robotic or human missions to study the streaks.