Area of Mars Identified as Good Place to Look for Evidence of
Past Life A spot on Mars called Nili Fossae that is rich in clay
mineral-rich rocks could be a prime spot to search for the
fossilized remains of Martian life that may have existed 4
billion years ago, a new study suggests. In the study,
scientists used an instrument on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance
Orbiter to study clay-carbonate rocks on the Martian surface
leftover from ancient red planet era known as the Noachian
period. The study does not offer actual evidence of past life;
rather, it suggests a place that might have been habitable. "We
suggest that the associated hydrothermal activity would have
provided sufficient energy for biological activity on early Mars
at Nili Fossae," said study lead author Adrian Brown, a
scientist at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Institute (SETI) in Mountain View, Calif., in a statement. The
study's findings will be detailed in an upcoming issue of the
journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters. Scienti