Mars would have been habitable once

[KingOrfeo]

Story.

Mars would have had conditions right for life to survive for around 700,000 years, between 3.8 and 3.1 billion years ago, scientists have discovered.

By analyzing rocks from the Gale crater—a 96 mile wide depression that was once a vast lake—scientists have shown the conditions on Mars over various periods. Their research, published in the journal Science, reveals how the climate changed from a cold one to a warm, temperate one in which life may have thrived.

Study author Joel Hurowitz tells Newsweek the Gale crater is ideal for studying Mars’s ancient climate, and that evidence collected by NASA’s Curiosity Rover, which is located there, is increasingly showing what conditions would have been like in the past.

“One of the things we’re really learning from Gale crater is that Mars—in its ancient geological history — really was home to environments that were very Earth-like in their quality. We’re talking about a lake that was being fed by freshwater rivers, it was a standing body of water that was there for a long period of time that had lake chemistry very similar to what we see on Earth.

“This idea that Mars in its early history might have been a more Earth-like place—we’re demonstrating one the ground that this really was the case. We can place ourselves onto the surface of another planet and imagine what it would be like at one time in its history—and it would’ve looked quite similar to what Earth looks like.”

I wouldn't be optimistic about finding traces of ancient life on Mars -- 700,000 years is a very narrow window for evolution -- but, it does raise the possibility.

 

[HisArpy]

The most advanced life form they would probably find is bacteria.

 

[KingOrfeo]

The most advanced life form they would probably find is bacteria.

I'm thinking of what fossils they might find.

 

[LIVINRFANTASIES]

Denny

According to Ancient Aliens on the History channel earth used to be habital also.

 

[HisArpy]

I'm thinking of what fossils they might find.

700,000 years is very short. Multi-celled creatures may not even have evolved in that amount of time. If they did, they'd still be soft bodied and not very prone to being fossilized.

Bacteria, on the other hand, exist even on comets and asteroids.

 

[SapphicOne]

Story.

I wouldn't be optimistic about finding traces of ancient life on Mars -- 700,000 years is a very narrow window for evolution -- but, it does raise the possibility.

https://up2.xhcdn.com/000/135/622/177_1000.gif

"Evidently, you have nobody to talk with except members of this forum."

- Bill Nye

 

[KingOrfeo]

700,000 years is very short. Multi-celled creatures may not even have evolved in that amount of time. If they did, they'd still be soft bodied and not very prone to being fossilized.

Bacteria, on the other hand, exist even on comets and asteroids.

Would bacteria leave fossils?

 

[Hard_Rom]

Would bacteria leave fossils?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110821205241.htm

They do.

 

[gotsnowgotslush]

I like time slot that I was given, to live my life out. It is interesting to look in windows to the past. It took an awfully long time, to make this planet "just right," for us.

 

[KingOrfeo]

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110821205241.htm

They do.

Well, that's something for the first manned expedition to look for, then.

 

[chillywilly2]

I'm thinking I wouldn't mind fishing that lake. It's worth a shot anyway

 

[Ms_Ann]

Or you could have it backwards. Maybe in 700,000 it will become habitable.