Scientists Use Ancient Rains to Map the Possible Origin Life on Mars

Billions of years ago, rain may have helped shape where the chemistry of life could begin on Mars. A new study maps how formaldehyde, an important prebiotic molecule, may have reached the surface. This map could help guide future missions searching for signs of past life on Mars.

Despite the climate we see on Mars today, scientists now agree it was warmer and wetter 3.5 to 4.1 billion years ago, during the Noachian and Hesperian eras. Evidence of this first emerged with the first robotic probes to explore Mars, but became und... [3276 chars]