It may not be little green men but NASA's Curiosity rover has discovered signs of life on Mars, in the form of organic molecules embedded in sedimentary rocks and variations of methane in its atmosphere.
Evidence has been discovered on the red planet that suggests Mars could have supported life in its ancient past, NASA has announced.
Studies of the Martian atmosphere have also revealed the presence of methane that could point to life currently existing on the planet.
Coupled with previous discoveries that Mars’s ancient climate allowed liquid water to pool on its surface this new discovery is further evidence that the planet was once habitable.
For the past six years the Curiosity rover has been rolling around the Martian landscape, drilling into the ground and analysing rock samples for evidence of life and is due to be joined by the Mars 2020 rover mission which will search for more organics on the surface and just below.
Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Program answered the inevitable question 'Are there signs of life on Mars' with 'We don’t know, but these results tell us we are on the right track'.
Brilliant stuff.
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