Next Mars Rover Could Find Fossils

Recent research on Mars has found that the red planet was once covered in a massive ocean. With water comes life, so NASA researchers are now focusing on where to search for signs of life on the planet. According to the article: "even when Mars was supposedly wet, the planet likely didn't have a very thick atmosphere. Many scientists therefore think that if life as we know it evolved on Mars, the best places to look for it would be where liquid water would have been protected from extreme temperature changes and damaging ultraviolet radiation from the sun". In order to find traces of life on the planet, scientists have to look in the subsurface, an area that is protected from these hazards. However, scientists don't want people to get too excited. The fossils would most likely be microscopic bacterium, not fully fledged organisms. The fossils that are found will most likely be chemical compounds that can be traced back to biological roots, not bones or skulls. However, one can always hope.

For the full article: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/10/101103-science-space-mars-water-life-fossils-oceans/

New Earth Like Planet Found

Only 20-Light years away, a new planet has been discovered in the Gliese system that could very well be a life sustaining one. The planet, Gliese 581g, is in the Goldilocks zone, meaning it is just the perfect distance from its sun to support liquid water and for liquid water to pool on the surface of the planet. Also, with three times more mass than Earth, the planet has more than enough mass to hold on to a stable atmosphere. Many scientists are sure that this planet supports some form of life, even if it is rudimentary. This is mainly because of the fact that the planet is tidally locked to the sun. This means that one side of the planet is permanently facing the sun and the opposite side is forever facing away, much like our moon is with Earth. This allows the planet to have a very stable and diverse range of temperatures, further contributing to the idea that this planet could sustain life.

The full article can be found here:
http://news.discovery.com/space/earth-like-planet-life.html