Scientists believe a mysterious black rock found on Mars could suggest aliens bathed in hot springs on the planet billions of years ago.
New research appears to have unearthed evidence that water existed on the Red Planet more than four billion years ago, indicating that it may once have been habitable.
Academics at Curtin University in Australia examined a sample of the meteorite that has until now been nicknamed the “black beauty.”
Their most recent analysis examined a grain of black crystal rock, also known as zicron, to determine that the planet may have been hospitable long ago.
They discovered that the sample dated back to 4.45 billion years ago, a time similar to when our own planet is believed to form.
However, what really caught the scientists’ attention were the “fingerprints” found in the grain water, which apparently indicated the existence of hot water on Mars.
It is believed to have existed in the form of hydrothermal springs heated by magma from beneath the planet’s crust.
According to experts, similar hot springs played a key role in the evolution of life here on Earth.
Scientists believe a mysterious black rock found on Mars could suggest aliens bathed in hot springs on the planet more than four billion years ago.
New research appears to have unearthed evidence that water existed on the Red Planet more than four billion years ago, indicating it may once have been habitable (Pictured: a meteorite nicknamed the ‘Black Beauty’)
These springs suggest that the Red Planet may once have possessed the capacity to support ancient life.
Dr. Aaron Cavosie, co-author of the study, said the sun They used nanoscale geochemistry to discover evidence of hot water on Mars so long ago.
“Hydrothermal systems were essential for the development of life on Earth and our findings suggest that Mars also had water, a key ingredient for habitable environments, during the earliest history of crust formation,” he told the publication. .
‘Using spectroscopy and nanoscale imaging, the team identified patterns of elements in this unique zircon, including iron, aluminum, yttrium and sodium.
“These elements were added when zircon formed 4.45 billion years ago, suggesting that water was present during early magmatic activity on Mars.
“This new study takes us a step further in understanding early Mars, by identifying telltale signs of water-rich fluids from the time the grain formed, providing geochemical markers for water in the oldest Martian crust.” known.”
It comes after NASA’s Mars rover discovered the first “possible” signs of ancient life on the Red Planet.
The agency’s Perseverance rover spotted what they described as an arrowhead-shaped rock with what looked like veins flowing through it.
The rover transmitted the images back to Earth, revealing crystalline solids left over from flowing water on the surface and a reddish area containing organic compounds and an energy source for “what could have been microbial life.”
The rock, which measures 3.2 feet by two feet, is named after a Grand Canyon waterfall, Cheyava Falls.