David Bowie famously pondered whether there's life on Mars, and we might be one step closer to finding out. Enough water to cover the surface of Mars has been found within its crust. The discovery has profound implications for our understanding of the planet and potentially provides "proof of alien life," said The Sun. 

What has been found? 
"Once upon a time," Mars had "lots of liquid water" on its surface, with oceans, lakes and rivers, said Space. That water "disappeared" about 3 billion years ago. 

But data from a NASA mission between 2018 and 2022 shows evidence of an underground water reservoir. The space agency's lander carried a seismometer, which "recorded four years' of vibrations — Mars quakes — from deep inside the Red Planet," said the BBC. 

The team employed the same techniques used to search for water, oil or gas on Earth. "There's a problem," however, said Forbes. This water is "deep," said Space, and there's no water at all in the crust above 3.1 miles deep. 

Why does this matter? 
Despite their inconvenient depths, if the aquifers are there, they may "provide new insights into the dynamics of Mars' desiccation," said The Economist. And if Mars "ever was the abode of life," the aquifers may be the "habitat of its last survivors." 

We "haven't found any evidence for life on Mars," said Michael Manga, a professor of planetary science at the University of California, Berkeley. But "at least we have identified a place that should, in principle, be able to sustain life." 

What next? 
Don't put your house on the market just yet. Reaching the water would "require drills far beyond anything that the current generation of Mars robots could carry," said The Economist. Despite this, space scientists are thrilled by the development, and the exploration may be expanded. 

Further seismometers could be sent to Mars and other planets and moons within our solar system in the future, said CNN. "Spreading them out across Mars" would reveal variations within the planet's interior and provide a greater window into its diverse and complex history.

With Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz joining Kamala Harris' presidential ticket, the national spotlight has swung toward the North Star state, where Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota's lieutenant governor, is ready to make potential history. 

From her beginnings as a community organizer and member of the Minneapolis Board of Education to her viral fame for signing Prince's "Purple Rain" on the Minnesota House floor, Flanagan is a fixture of Minnesota politics. A member of the White Earth band of Ojibwe, Flanagan is the "highest ranking Native woman elected to executive office" in the nation, according to her state biography. She could become the nation's first Indigenous woman governor if the Democrats win in November. 

'Open to doing things in better ways'
As a state lawmaker, Flanagan helped "launch the state's first POCI (People of Color and Indigenous) Caucus," said The Nation. After joining the Walz administration in 2018, Flanagan "established the country's first Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office" and increased "cash, food and child care assistance to low-income families," said Politico. Along with Walz, she "pushed for the highest child tax credit in the country," said The New Republic. 

As Minnesota increasingly incorporates "tribal consultation into numerous aspects of the state government," many tribal leaders "point to Flanagan as the driving force behind these changes," said The Associated Press. She has also worked to include Native history and culture in classrooms. Flanagan "won't be afraid to be open to doing things in better ways that are more reflective of our values and the reality of what a Minnesotan looks like," said state Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn (D) to the Sahan Journal. 

'Tell the truth'
Flanagan has also courted controversy, particularly related to reproductive health and gender-affirming care. Last year, she was singled out by the Republican National Committee for insisting parents trust children when they "tell us who they are." She also "notably tweeted her NCAA March Madness bracket, choosing teams based on the level of abortion restrictions in their home states," said Fox News. 

Flanagan has cited her father, White Earth activist Marvin Manypenny, as a major inspiration for her work. He was a "troublemaker and rabble-rouser and an expert in our tribal constitution," Flanagan said to the AP. "He taught me to take up space at the table and tell the truth, even if it makes people uncomfortable."