New discovery brings us one step closer to finding life on Mars

Scientists have discovered something fascinating, which is an addition in the list of evidences found over time that indicate there is life on the Red Planet.

Years ago we came across the news of water on Mars and this time the discovery is similar, just the water has been replaced by ice. Beneath the surface of Mars, scientists found huge quantities (around 300 feet) of ice in some areas called ‘scarps’, the steep banks or slopes. However, specific properties of the ice are yet not known due to the dirt, rock and other surface-level impurities.

The author of the study published in the journal Science, Colin Dundas said, “We have found a new window into the ice for study, which we hope will be of interest to those interested in all aspects of ice on Mars and its history.”

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Dundas, along with his colleagues, theorized that the ice might have originated as snow that fell in waves some million years ago where some of the material settled inside the surface of the planet. “On Mars, when you see something bright, it usually means ice,” said Richard Zurek, chief scientist for the Mars Program Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The ice was discovered by soil erosion that exposed the sub-surface ice. The ice sheets appeared to have different layers and were found to be entirely pure, solid and strong. Eight of the scarps of ice were found that had a blue-black shade, as per Morning Ticker. “I’m sure we haven’t found all of the exposures at this point,” Dundas said.

This finding of ice on Mars clearly indicates presence of life. According to New Zealand Herald, the scientists also believe that this ice can be a source of water for future human exploration of the planet. “If we were to send humans to live on Mars for a substantial period of time, it would be a fantastic source of water,” said a planetary scientist Matt Balme.