The Mars, we know today is a barren land with no signs of life. But, a new study conducted by a team of researchers at the University of Chicago has suggested that rivers have once flown across the surface of the red planet.
The new research report adds up to the evidence that Mars had once a thick atmosphere and it might have harboured some kind of extraterrestrial life in the past.
The study found that a vast network of rivers had flown across the planet for more than billions of years. But, the research did not provide a hint to anything about the ancient climate that might have persisted on the Red Planet.
Researchers revealed that the flow of Martian rivers was so intense, they were wider than the running water bodies on earth. As per the study, rivers had flown in hundreds of rivers across the planet and it is still unclear whether these water bodies might have loaded with extraterrestrial life, at least in microbial forms.
It should be noted that the discovery of rivers on Mars has made it difficult for scientists to work on Mars' ancient climate modelling. The main confusion while working on ancient climate modelling is because the planet wouldn't have had enough light to keep water warm enough for a liquid state, but evidence suggested that rivers have flown across the planet.
Experts believe that more researchers should be carried out to determine how rivers flowed smoothly in the Red Planet despite the fact that water may not stay warm on the surface.
A few days back, another study report published in the Journal of Astrobiology and Space Science had suggested the possible presence of alien life on Mars. Researchers who took part in this study made this conclusion after spotting alien Fungi on images snapped by NASA's Curiosity Rover. Researchers in the study report also suggested that the seasonal fluctuations of Methane in the Martian atmosphere can be connected with natural life-and-death cycles of organic matter on earth.
