Scientists Find Further Evidence of Water on Mars

Scientists Find , Further Evidence of , Water on Mars.

New evidence suggests that Mars may be home to liquid water.

.

'The Independent' reports that the finding represents a major breakthrough in the search for proof of water on Mars and potential alien life on the red planet.

According to scientists, this is the first time that evidence of water has been found using data that did not come from radar.

Researchers used lasers on spacecraft to identify small changes in the height of the Martian ice caps.

Those patterns were then compared to a computer model used to predict how a body of water would change the surface of the ice caps.

The team's findings reportedly provide a second piece of evidence that Mars possesses liquid water under its South Pole.

The research was led by the University of Cambridge and included scientists from the Open University and the University of Sheffield.

The team's paper, 'Surface topographic impact of subglacial water beneath the south polar ice cap of Mars,’ was published in the journal 'Nature Astronomy.'.

This study gives the best indication yet that there is liquid water on Mars today because it means that two of the key pieces of evidence we would look for when searching for subglacial lakes on Earth have now been found on Mars, Dr Frances Butcher, second author of the study from the University of Sheffield, via 'The Independent'.

Liquid water is an essential ingredient for life, although it does not necessarily mean that life exists on Mars, Dr Frances Butcher, second author of the study from the University of Sheffield, via 'The Independent'