Can 250 Million-Year-Old Salty Rocks Lead To Discovering Life On
Mars? Westminster Professor And Multi-institutional Research
Team May Have New Answers On Where To Look SALT LAKE CITY – Is
it possible that the discovery of 250 million-year-old rocks
could lead to finding life on other planets? Through a
multidisciplinary study conducted by Dr. Bonnie K. Baxter, an
associate professor of biology at Westminster College, that
answer could be yes. Deep in the salt mines of New Mexico, Dr.
Baxter and a team of multidisciplinary and multi-institutional
researchers discovered biological material preserved in salt
crystals from over 250 million years ago – making it the oldest
biological material ever discovered on Earth. The material,
known as cellulose, was extracted from salt crystals in the
mines. Cellulose is one of the most common organic compounds on
Earth and is a familiar substance to most of us as it is a major
component of paper products. Cellulose could indeed be one of
the best signatures for signs of pa