Finding leads scientists to suspect there was once life in Mars

[Chiefofland]

Carbonates have been found for the first time in the surface of Mars. And carbonate only occurs as a result of a mixture of carbone dioxide and water, an essential component for life.

These minerals suggest a scenario in the remote past that "might have provided a cosy habitat for life."

""In some places, like the Opportunity landing site, Terra Meridiani, it's clear that acid waters dominated the region," Ehlmann (Brown University) told New Scientist. "Because we hadn't seen carbonate bearing rocks before, we extrapolated this could be true over much of the planet."

"But at least in pockets, like where we see the carbonate, it suggests waters were mostly neutral to alkaline," she says. Such waters represent "a different sort of aqueous environment - potentially a habitat for micro-organisms - on ancient Mars".

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16305-longsought-carbonate-minerals-found-on-mars.html