The debate is still open as to whether or not liquid water was actually photographed my the Phoenix lander. Scientists are still debating, and even members of the Phoenix team are unsure. (That second link contains the nifty pics, BTW) Some say the pics are just frost The bad news is that the Phoenix lander found large amounts of Perchlorate on the surface, toxic to all known forms of life. However, the perchlorate could allow water to stay liquid down to -70 C, and there is even thought that perchlorate could form a possible energy source for microbial life. There is also the recent discovery of methane in the atmosphere, a gas that cannot exist long in the Martian atmosphere, and may be evidence for the existence of life there.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2009-03-16 12:50 am (UTC)Scientists are still debating, and even members of the Phoenix team are unsure. (That second link contains the nifty pics, BTW) Some say the pics are just frost The bad news is that the Phoenix lander found large amounts of Perchlorate on the surface, toxic to all known forms of life. However, the perchlorate could allow water to stay liquid down to -70 C, and there is even thought that perchlorate could form a possible energy source for microbial life. There is also the recent discovery of methane in the atmosphere, a gas that cannot exist long in the Martian atmosphere, and may be evidence for the existence of life there.