The discovery of stains that flow down cliffs and crater walls in the summertime on Mars has given researchers hope of finding life on our neighbouring red planet. Researchers claim that these stains prove that liquid water is running down these areas.
Mars
It is still unknown where exactly the water comes from, but it is suggested that it is rising up from underground ice or salty aquifers, or condense out of the thin Martian atmosphere. In the warmer months, the water becomes liquid and flows down the craters and canyons which leaves behind the intricate fan-like stains as evidence. When it comes to the autumn period, the temperatures drop and the water dries up.
"There is liquid water today on the surface of Mars," Michael Meyer, the lead scientist on Nasa's Mars exploration programme, told the Guardian. "Because of this, we suspect that it is at least possible to have a habitable environment today."
The discovery will help in finding better landing spots for future expeditions so that water can be collected from a natural supply.
The planet has shown signs of water before, but only from a time long ago. Earlier this year, Nasa reported evidence of an expanse of water as big as an ocean that might have covered half of the planet's northern hemisphere in the distant past.