Scientists now know where life on Mars could be hiding

Scientists want to know whether there was ever life on Mars. Now, they think they’ve honed in on where evidence of life could be hiding.

Researchers think ancient lakeside regions will have evidence of ancient fossils. Sedimentary rocks made of compacted mud or clay are most likely to preserve them.

These rocks are rich in iron and silica, which helps fossilize tiny ancient life forms.

Mars is a dry, desert planet now, but water flowed on the planet 4 billion years ago. Where there’s water, there’s the potential for life.

This will impact the NASA 2020 and ESA ExoMars missions. Both rover missions hope to collect samples to send back to Earth. The findings were published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets