Tag Archives: hot springs

Would Mars life be shaped like fettuccine?

Posted on May 29, 2019 by rburnham

A rover scanning the surface of Mars for evidence of life might want to check for rocks that look like pasta, researchers report in the journal Astrobiology. The bacterium that controls the formation of such rocks on Earth is ancient … Continue reading →

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Ancient Mars life: Clues from toxic volcanic lake?

Posted on May 3, 2018 by rburnham

Researchers at CU Boulder have discovered microbes living in a toxic volcanic lake that may rank as one of the harshest environments on Earth. Their findings, published recently online [in Astrobiology], could guide scientists looking for signs of ancient life on … Continue reading →

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Zinc and germanium levels at Gale Crater boost evidence for habitable environment

Posted on August 24, 2017 by rburnham

New data gathered by the Mars Curiosity rover indicates a potential history of hydrothermal activity at Gale Crater on the red planet, broadening the variety of habitable conditions once present there, scientists report in a new study. Researchers found concentrations … Continue reading →

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Looking for Mars life — in Chile

Posted on November 17, 2016 by rburnham

Two geoscientists at Arizona State University have made a discovery among hot springs in Chile that may spur scientists to revisit a location on Mars explored several years ago by NASA’s Spirit rover. The discovery involves fingerlike structures that form … Continue reading →

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Home Plate’s volcanic bomb landed with a splat

Posted on January 11, 2012 by rburnham

One of the unusual features that Mars Exploration Rover Spirit discovered at Home Plate, a former hydrothermal vent in the Columbia Hills, was a “bomb sag,” complete with its partially embedded volcanic bomb. To geologists, volcanic bombs are rocks or … Continue reading →

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Commemorating Mars Exploration Rover Spirit

Posted on July 21, 2011 by rburnham

The cast and crew of scientists and engineers who designed, built, and operated the Mars rover Spirit for its 2,210 days in Gusev Crater held a commemoration and celebration for the rover at its birthplace, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, on … Continue reading →

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Home Plate: Worth a second visit?

Posted on May 19, 2011 by rburnham

In Gusev Crater’s Columbia Hills, explored by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, a low plateau about 100 yards wide dubbed Home Plate has turned out to be a Pretty Big Deal. Although a deep bed of soft sand on its … Continue reading →

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