Biology
Scientific paper
Dec 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufm.p14c..01b&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #P14C-01
Biology
[5215] Planetary Sciences: Astrobiology / Origin Of Life, [5455] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Origin And Evolution, [5464] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Remote Sensing, [6225] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Mars
Scientific paper
If life ever arose beyond the Earth, it is likely to have occurred on Mars: this was the belief long before any diagnostic measurements could be made. When the Viking, then Voyager missions were launched, pioneering the scientific search for extraterrestrial life, the “Plurality of Worlds” remained the dominating mindset: the possibility that the Earth is not unique and that life is generic was embraced. The lack of evidence for habitable conditions on Mars, and then Titan, dramatically changed our view. More generally, decades of space exploration have consolidated a dialectical contrast between the large commonality in the origin of the planets and the huge diversity of their present conditions. What drives planetary evolution? Mars plays a unique role in deciphering the involved processes. It has undergone many stages of planetary evolution, and has preserved a record of even the most ancient ones. The ongoing space mission, in which NASA and ESA have joined their skills and expertises, are providing a fundamentally new insight into the History of Mars and specifically into the role water has played through time. In particular, if life ever started, we now know where to search for its evidence. We’ve moved beyond just image interpretation into the realm where specific hydrated minerals such as phyllosilicates - the fingerprints of habitability - can be definitively detected, located and their context characterized. We will present recent results from Mars, and scientific clues paving the quest for ancient perennial water and potential bio-relics. We will discuss reasons why global conditions might have caused the evolutionary pathways of Mars and Earth to diverge.
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