Mars rover finds signs of microbial life- December 12, 2007 Nasa says its Mars rover Spirit has discovered "the best evidence yet" of a past habitable environment on the planet's surface. Spirit has been exploring a plateau called Home Plate, where it discovered silica-rich soil in May. Researchers are now trying to determine what produced the patch of nearly pure silica - the main ingredient of window glass. They believe the deposits came from an ancient hot-spring environment or an environment called a fumarole, in which acidic steam rises through.http://www.marsnews.com/archives/2007/12/11/mars_rover_finds_signs_of_microbial_life.html |