Water, warm water so that it could be conceived life, still flowed on Mars, tell us the authors of another episode of a long scientific series, which becomes more confusing. Let us just recall a recent example: first Curiosity Rover found on the red planet ancient river, but then showed that there is no methane, despite data of ground-based observations. Heart eager to see the Martian life this news fell on Earth, 90-95% of this gas produced by living beings.

But there is still hope. Analysis of meteorites, arrived to us from red neighbor showed that the temperature of the water on Mars places reached 50 to 150 C, that is, as in the sources of Yellowstone Park, where, as you know, full of life. The study's lead author John bridges of Leicester University (UK) believes that the water was heated in the fall of meteorites, and they were many: just look at the pictures of the Martian surface.

Martian meteorites are divided into three types: shergottite, chassignet and nality. Mr. bridges and his colleagues were interested in the latter. There are only eight.

"This group contains small veins full of minerals that have been formed by water near the surface of Mars," says the researcher. One of these meteorites - Lafayette - was particularly newly rich in minerals, so it is studied separately under the electronic microscope and a transmission electron microscope. According to the data received, it was first formed siderite (iron carbonate), as it appears in the water, saturated with carbon dioxide at a temperature of 150 C. the Subsequent drop in temperature up to 50 C and a scattering of carbon dioxide have led to the formation of clay. According to the researchers, it is this process (reduction of temperature and formation of minerals) becomes a catalyst for the development of microorganisms, for the latter use energy and items allocated in the course of the reactions.

Susanne Spencer from the Open University (UK) and colleagues, conducting a computer simulation of this process, convinced that life really could exist in such an environment - in contrast to the one that was associated with acid sulphate.

The study is published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

Based on the materials of Wired UK.