A planet may be changing, coming to life right next to Earth

New evidence on Earth's neighbor planet - Mars - suggests it may be far from dead!

That's the conclusion of a remarkable new study published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.

"Knowing that the Martian mantle is still active is important to our understanding of how Mars evolved as a planet. It can help us answer fundamental questions about the System. The sun; the state of the core, the mantle of Mars; the development of its currently lacking magnetic field." - explained geophysicist Hrvoje Tkalčić from the Australian National University.

Surface of the Cerberus Fossae region of Mars as captured by the Mars Express

Mars' lack of a magnetic field suggests that it is not a very active planet. That can be a big problem separating the line between the "living" planet and the "dead" planet.

It is the complex, continuous operation of the Earth from the core to the crust that helps it possess a strong magnetic field, helping us and all species to be protected from the effects of the universe, reproduce and evolve.

However, since NASA's InSight lander landed on Mars in November 2018, it has continuously found evidence that Mars is currently "rumbling".

Those were mysterious earthquakes that happened in succession. Is a fissure system created by faults in the Cerberus Fossae area, resulting in 47 seemingly new marshes.

Also at Cerberus Fossae, there is much geological evidence that volcanic activity occurred within the last 10 million years. Thus, it is possible that the planet is only temporarily "hibernating" in a historical period. It is reviving in parallel with the rise of geological activities, of course, the ability to live and the ability to generate life.

Previous studies have also suggested that Mars was highly likely to have once had life and was a blue planet with as many oceans as Earth, before becoming arid and extinct 2-3 billion years ago.

These findings suggest that Mars is not dead, but that there may be another mechanism preventing the establishment of the magnetosphere. They are still looking for it.

"Understanding Mars' magnetic field, how it evolved, and how it has diverged in the planet's history is clearly important for future missions, especially as scientists one day hope to establish human base on Mars" - Science Alert quoted Dr. Tkalčić.