New Discoveries Reveal Mars' Water History and Potential for Life
A new study suggests that Mars experienced brief warm periods caused by gradual increases in the sun’s brightness, but due to its unique conditions, it mostly remained a dry, inhospitable desert. The discovery of carbonate-rich rocks by NASA’s Curiosity rover supports the idea that Mars's atmosphere was once thicker and capable of supporting liquid water, but it was largely drawn down into rocks, leading to the planet's current cold, dry state.
