Scientists find signs of salty, liquid water on Mars


Mars may have water after all thanks to its super salty soil, according to research published this week in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Using data collected by NASA's Curiosity rover, researchers concluded that salt in Mars' soil lowers the freezing point of water just enough to allow small amounts of liquid to condense below the planet's surface at night; in the morning, as temperatures rise, it evaporates. However, the finding does not mean Mars is capable of sustaining life.
"The water activity and temperatures are so low in Mars that they are beyond the limits of cell reproduction and metabolism," Javier Martin-Torres, a lead author of the study, told Discovery News.
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Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
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