Mars News

June 13, 2024

Top Headlines

In a Significant First, Researchers Detect Water Frost on Solar System's Tallest Volcanoes

June 10, 2024 — An international team of planetary scientists has detected patches of water frost sitting atop the Tharsis volcanoes on Mars, which are not only the tallest volcanic mountains on the Red Planet but ...

Lake Under Mars Ice Cap Unlikely

June 7, 2024 — Researchers have provided a simple and comprehensive -- if less dramatic -- explanation for bright radar reflections initially interpreted as liquid water beneath the ice cap on Mars' south ...

Martian Meteorites Deliver a Trove of Information on Red Planet's Structure

May 31, 2024 — Mars has a distinct structure in its mantle and crust with discernible reservoirs, and this is known thanks to meteorites that scientists have analyzed. These results are important for understanding not only how Mars formed and evolved, but also for ...

Earth-Like Environment Likely on Ancient Mars

May 1, 2024 — A research team using the ChemCam instrument onboard NASA's Curiosity rover discovered higher-than-usual amounts of manganese in lakebed rocks within Gale Crater on Mars, which indicates that the sediments were formed in a river, delta, or near the ...

Latest Headlines

updated 6:55pm EDT

Surprising Insights About Debris Flows on Mars

Mar. 14, 2024 — The period that liquid water was present on the surface of Mars may have been shorter than previously thought. Channel landforms called gullies, previously thought to be formed exclusively by liquid ...

Giant Volcano Discovered on Mars

Mar. 13, 2024 — A deeply eroded giant volcano, active from ancient through recent times and with possible remnants of glacier ice near its base, had been hiding near Mars' equator in plain sight. Its discovery ...

Scientists Propose New Theory That Explains Sand Ripples on Mars and on Earth

Mar. 12, 2024 — Sand ripples are symmetrical. Yet wind -- which causes them -- is very much not. Furthermore, sand ripples can be found on Mars and on Earth. They ...

Study Determines the Original Orientations of Rocks Drilled on Mars

Mar. 4, 2024 — Geologists determined the original orientation of many of the Mars bedrock samples collected by the Perseverance rover. The findings can give scientists clues to the conditions in which the rocks ...

Biomolecules from Formaldehyde on Ancient Mars

Feb. 28, 2024 — Organic materials discovered on Mars may have originated from atmospheric formaldehyde, according to new research, marking a step forward in our understanding of the possibility of past life on the ...

Three Years Later, Search for Life on Mars Continues

Feb. 22, 2024 — Scientists suspect Mars once had long-lived rivers, lakes and streams. Today, water on Mars is found in ice at the poles and trapped below the Martian surface. Researchers now reveal that Mars also ...

Little Groundwater Recharge in Ancient Mars Aquifer, According to New Models

Feb. 21, 2024 — Mars was once a wet world. The geological record of the Red Planet shows evidence for water flowing on the surface -- from river deltas to valleys ...

Diverse Ancient Volcanoes on Mars Discovered by Planetary Scientist May Hold Clues to Pre-Plate Tectonic Activity on Earth

Feb. 15, 2024 — A geologist has revealed intriguing insights into the volcanic activity on Mars. He proposes that Mars has significantly more diverse volcanism than ...

Confirmation of Ancient Lake on Mars Builds Excitement for Perseverance Rover's Samples

Jan. 26, 2024 — Ground-penetrating radar on board NASA's Mars Perseverance rover has confirmed that the Jezero Crater, formed by an ancient meteor impact just north ...

Atmospheric Pressure Changes Could Be Driving Mars' Elusive Methane Pulses

Jan. 24, 2024 — New research shows that atmospheric pressure fluctuations that pull gases up from underground could be responsible for releasing subsurface methane into Mars' atmosphere; knowing when and where to ...

Earlier Headlines

Potential Solvents Identified for Building on Moon and Mars

Jan. 11, 2024 — Researchers have taken the first steps toward finding liquid solvents that may someday help extract critical building materials from lunar and Martian-rock dust, an important piece in making ...

One Small Material, One Giant Leap for Life on Mars: New Research Takes Us a Step Closer to Sustaining Human Life on the Red Planet

Dec. 21, 2023 — Researchers have discovered the transformative potential of Martian nanomaterials, potentially opening the door to sustainable habitation on the red ...

Glow in the Visible Range Detected for the First Time in the Martian Night

Nov. 9, 2023 — Scientists have observed, for the first time in the visible range, a glow on the night side of the planet Mars. These new observations provide a better understanding of the dynamics of the upper ...

Scientists Discover Molten Layer Covering Martian Core

Oct. 25, 2023 — NASA's InSight mission to Mars helped scientists map out Mars' internal structure, including the size and composition of its core, and provided general hints about its tumultuous ...

Curiosity Rover Finds New Evidence of Ancient Mars Rivers, a Key Signal for Life

Oct. 24, 2023 — New analysis of data from the Curiosity rover reveals that much of the craters on Mars today could have once been habitable ...

Source of Largest Ever Mars Quake Revealed

Oct. 17, 2023 — Scientists have announced the results of an unprecedented collaboration to search for the source of the largest ever seismic event recorded on Mars. The study rules out a meteorite impact, suggesting ...

New Mars Gravity Analysis Improves Understanding of Possible Ancient Ocean

Sep. 20, 2023 — The first use of a novel method of analyzing Mars' gravitational force supports the idea that the planet once had an extensive northern ocean. In doing so, the method defines the scope of what ...

Possible Seasonal Climate Patterns on Early Mars

Aug. 9, 2023 — New observations of mud cracks made by the Curiosity Rover show that high-frequency, wet-dry cycling occurred in early Martian surface environments, indicating that the red planet may have once seen ...

Study Examines Earth and Mars to Determine How Climate Change Affects the Paths of Rivers

Aug. 3, 2023 — The study investigated why the paths of meandering rivers change over time and is a step toward understanding what the hydroclimate on Mars was like when there was still surface ...

In New Space Race, Scientists Propose Geoarchaeology Can Aid in Preserving Space Heritage

July 21, 2023 — The material record that currently exists on the moon is rapidly becoming at risk of being destroyed if proper attention isn't paid during the new space era, scientists say. They propose a new ...

New Study Reveals Evidence of Diverse Organic Material on Mars

July 12, 2023 — Scientists gain vital insights into Mars' history and potential for supporting ...

Gauging the Strength of Ancient and Active Rivers Beyond Earth

July 10, 2023 — A new technique allows scientists to see how intensely rivers used to flow on Mars, and how they currently flow on Titan. The method uses satellite observations to estimate the rate at which rivers ...

Gullies on Mars Could Have Been Formed by Recent Periods of Liquid Meltwater, Study Suggests

June 29, 2023 — A study offers new insights into how water from melting ice could have played a recent role in the formation of ravine-like channels that cut down the sides of impact craters on ...

Using Photosynthesis for Martian Occupation -- While Making Space Travel More Sustainable

June 9, 2023 — Researchers are working on sustainable technology to harvest solar power in space -- which could supplement life support systems on the Moon and ...

New Findings Indicate Gene-Edited Rice Might Survive in Martian Soil

Apr. 26, 2023 — New research suggests future Martian botanists may be able to grow gene-edited rice on ...

Scientists Detect Seismic Waves Traveling Through Martian Core

Apr. 24, 2023 — New NASA InSight research reveals that Mars has a liquid core rich in sulfur and oxygen, leading to new clues about how terrestrial planets form, evolve and potentially sustain ...

Pioneering Research Sheds New Light on the Origins and Composition of Planet Mars

Apr. 24, 2023 — A new study has uncovered intriguing insights into the liquid core at the centre of Mars, furthering understanding of the planet's formation and ...

Remains of a Modern Glacier Found Near Mars' Equator Implies Water Ice Possibly Present at Low Latitudes on Mars Even Today

Mar. 15, 2023 — Scientists revealed the discovery of a relict glacier near Mars' equator. Located in Eastern Noctis Labyrinthus at coordinates 7° 33' S, 93° 14' W, this finding is significant as it ...

The Planet That Could End Life on Earth

Mar. 7, 2023 — A terrestrial planet hovering between Mars and Jupiter would be able to push Earth out of the solar system and wipe out life on this planet, according to a recent ...

Better Tools Needed to Determine Ancient Life on Mars

Feb. 21, 2023 — Current state-of-the-art instrumentation being sent to Mars to collect and analyze evidence of life might not be sensitive enough to make accurate assessments, according to new ...