“Follow the water” has long been the mantra of scientists searching for life beyond Earth. After all, the only known cradle of life in the cosmos is the watery planet we call home. But now there’s more evidence suggesting that a potential discovery of liquid water on Mars might not be so watertight, researchers report September 26 in Nature Astronomy.
In 2018, scientists announced the discovery of a large subsurface lake near Mars’ south pole (SN: 7/25/18). That claim — and follow-up observations suggesting additional buried pools of liquid water on the Red Planet (SN: 9/28/20) — fueled excitement about finally finding an extraterrestrial world possibly conducive to life.
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