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Old briny: Mars, water, and the search for life

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American



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Northern polar ice cap of Mars (NASA/Mars Global Surveyor)


Let’s get something clear right away, Mars has lots of water on and close to its surface. Over the years we’ve seen an increasing number of measurements and discoveries that indicate very significant reservoirs of martian water. The catch, and there is a big one, is that this water is frozen. It’s not surprising; Mars [...]