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Recent research shows that hundreds of depressions on the surface of Mars, known as "ghost dunes," may contain evidence of ancient life.
Research, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, shows that ancient dunes (probably sand dunes) are about the size of the American capitol. They have been preserved for years because of the way they were composed, with lavas and sediments partially burying the dunes over time, which hardened them, says research.
and the dunes on Earth are very similar to the dunes on Mars. A problem that Mars has that Earth is not surface radiation, "said Mackenzie Day, a global geomorphologist at the University of Washington and senior author of the study in a statement at the University of Washington. American Geophysical Union: "If you are in a dune or at the bottom of a dune, and you are microbial life, the dune protects you from much of this radiation. "
NASA HAD DISCOVERED AND DESTROYED ORGANICS ON MARCH IN 1976
<img src =" http://a57.foxnews.com/images.foxnews.com/content/fox-news/science/2018/ 07/13 / Mar-ghost-dune-may-have-evidence-alien-life / _jcr_content / article-text / section-by-4 / inline_spotlight_ima_0 / image.img.jpg / 612/344 / 1531498673907.jpg? ve = 1 & tl = 1 "alt =" ghost dune 1 [19659006] The Barchan dunes pbad through a plain of the Hellespontus region, west of the Hellas Basin, on Mars. The orientation of their horns indicates steady winds from the east, blowing up and down in this image captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The sun illuminates the steep slopes of the leeward or downwind faces on the lower sides of the dunes. The dunes migrate with the wind, sometimes merging or lengthening long fingers that generate new dunes. (Credit: NASA / JPL / University of Arizona)
The plain language summary of the study provides more details on what researchers can expect from the dunes.
"These pits may contain ancient sandstone dunes on the edges of pits and might be a good place to look for evidence of ancient life," reads in the summary. also indicate how the winds have behaved in the past. "
The dunes were identified by satellite images of the Hellas Basin and Noctis Labyrinthus on the Red Planet.
NASA SHOCKER: ASTRONAUT REVEALS THAT HUMANS WERE TO BE IN MARCH IN THE 1960s
<img src = "http://a57.foxnews.com/images.foxnews.com/content/fox-news/science/2018/07/13/mars- ghost-dunes-may-have-evidence-alien-life / _jcr_content / article-text / article-by-8 / inline_spotlight_ima / image.img.jpg / 612/344 / 1531497623188.jpg? ve = 1 & tl = 1 "alt = "The Barchan dunes indicate prevailing winds from the north (top) in the western Egyptian desert near Kharga (25.706⁰, 30.347⁰).
(Source: Google Earth)
Previous in the Universe
There is a precedent for this phenomenon on Earth because "ghost dunes" have been found on the plain of Snake River in the 39, is Idaho in 2016. [19659003] It is very likely that the dunes of Noctis have already reached nearly 130 feet high and those of the Hellas Basin rose even higher, reaching about 246 feet, before the winds and the old climate of Mars do not bury them. Known as dune barchanes, these dunes (which are the most common on Earth and on Mars) are crescent-shaped and form on flat surfaces, unhindered by vegetation when the wind blows mainly from a forest. direction and the sand is limited. 19659003] Day and his co-author David Catling, an astrobiologist at the University of Washington, observed that these "ghost dunes" are similar in size and scope to the active dune fields on the red planet, which makes that the pits are dunes. .
"No matter which of these pits is not enough to tell you that it's a dune, or an old dune field," Day said. "But when you put them all together, they have so much in common with the dunes on Mars and on Earth that you have to use some kind of fantastic explanation to explain them other than as dunes."
HOW BUZZ ALDRIN WANTS TO MAKE HABITABLE MARS
Day and Catling believe that the dunes were buried about 2 billion years ago, during the Dusk period or Amazonian. The Hesperian period is significant, say the researchers, because it is then that the planet's climate has gone from a wetland, with "running waters and active volcanoes" to arid climate and swept by the wind of the planet. [19659003] It is unclear why the climate has changed, but Space.com reports that the atmosphere has thinned, which would make the flow of water impossible.
"The fact that the wind was different [when the ghost dunes formed] tells us that the Mars environmental conditions are not static over long time scales, they have changed over the past two billion years, something that we need to know to interpret the geology on Mars, "added Day in the statement
. The ghost dunes are far away, but they could give a glimpse into the beginnings of the planet and help researchers understand how great entities formed
"There is probably nothing left over there," says Day. it's ab etter place that the average to look at. "
Follow Chris Ciaccia on Twitter @Chris_Ciaccia
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