Detecting an oasis suspected to contain alien fossils

NASA claims it has discovered an oasis that may contain fossils in the middle of arid areas in the Jezero crater crater on Mars.

Two new studies from NASA have discovered on Mars an area containing hydrated silica minerals , which is particularly valuable in preserving "biological signatures."

That's the area of the giant Jezero crater , possibly the remnants of an asteroid attack. Inside the pit, like elsewhere on Mars, is mostly a barren desert. But the mineral found could be evidence of an oasis of life, the researchers say.

The Jezero 45km wide crater of Mars, which is suspected of having an oasis containing alien fossils - (photo: NASA).

Scientist Jesse Tarnas, lead author of one of the two studies, said they analyzed data that NASA spacecraft brought back and discovered two streams of hydrated silica right in the barren crater. this. On Earth, similar minerals are also the "gold mine" of paleontologists, because it is the place to preserve particles and other biological components from early life.

The research, which was just published in the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters, used data from the tiny reconnaissance spectrometer called CRISM mounted on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on duty. According to them, if deposited on this traces of hydrated silica, NASA can find fossils of alien creatures.

The second study, also from NASA, has just been published in the scientific journal Icarus . Also using data from CRISM, they found carbonate minerals along the inner rim of the Jezero pit. Carbonate on Earth is also the main preserve of ancient fossils, especially shells, corals and stromatolites (mound-shaped structures, sedimentary columns formed due to the layering development of cyanobacteria).

Sites of carbonate minerals are marked by NASA - (photo: NASA).

Jezero today may be an arid desert, but some previous NASA findings show that there existed an ancient lake and rivers flowing in. So the existence of an ancient oasis here is not unbelievable.

The mystery may soon be solved because in NASA's Mars 2020 project, a new lander will land in the Jezero crater.