A Martian meteorite recently found on Earth may represent a
missing link between Mars' warm, wet past and its present cold
and dry state, a new study shows. The rock, which was discovered
in Morocco in 2011, is of a previously unknown class that could
fill in gaps in scientists' understanding of the Red Planet's
geological history, researchers said. The meteorite — named NWA
7034 — is markedly different from other meteorites from Mars
that scientists have studied on Earth. NWA 7034 has about 10
times more water content (about 6,000 parts per million) than
any of the 110 other known meteorites that have fallen to Earth
from Mars, suggesting that the meteorite probably came from the
Martian surface, as opposed to deeper inside, said University of
New Mexico planetary scientist Carl Agee, lead author of a paper
describing the findings published in Thursday's issue of the
online journal Science Express. Previously studied Martian
meteorites, known as the SNC samples, appear to come from a
different, less explored