Isabella Dibbini Earth Science

October 1, 2015 Mrs. McClellan (Block C-odd)

Chang, Kenneth. "Mars Shows Signs of Having Flowing Water, Possible Niches for Life, NASA Says." The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 Sept. 2015. Web. 01 Oct. 2015.

After reading an interesting article about evidence of water on Mars, many are curious if life can inhabit the planet. Mars has been known to be sandy, barren and dry; therefore, scientists do not believe there can be life on Mars. Based on this new revolutionary finding, scientists now believe that there is some degree of moisture present on Mars, and, as a result, there is a possibility that living organisms can be found on Mars.

Scientists have identified perchlorates which indicate the presence of water. A professor at the University of Arizona, Dr. McEwen, along with his colleagues  investigated the images which display streaks on Mars that they believe are signs of water. These streaks are found in four primary locations.

In the article they also discussed the question of where the water might be coming from. One theory is that water came from the moisture in the air. This is not likely, because Mars is so dry there is very little humidity. Another theory is that the frozen aquifers under the surface will melt in the summer and seep through to the surface.

The next question the article poses is whether or not life can exist on Mars. Christopher P. McKay believes that there can not be life on Mars, as he states, “For the water to be liquid, it must be so salty that nothing could live there.” On the other hand, David E. Stillman feels there is a chance for life on Mars. The article states, “In some [regions], [the streaks] form only during the warmest times, suggesting that those waters might not be too salty for microbes.”

Lastly, this article explains how they plan to further investigate the possibility of water and life on Mars. NASA has rovers that can explore Mars, however, they are not sterilized, leading NASA to believe that they will contaminate Mars. The process of sterilizing these robotic explorers would be very costly.  Dr. Green, of NASA, talks about how if the streaks in Gale Crater are a sign of water, then they will not let the rover near the streaks because they would not want to contaminate the possible area of “Martian Habitat.”    

The fact that water may have been discovered on Mars leaves many questions unanswered and many people hungry for new knowledge on the subject matter.  This recent discovery has impacted the general public in the sense that people are now eager to learn about Mars and its potential for life. NASA will now have to further investigate the recent discovery of water on Mars.  It is this that leaves scientists with other questions about possibly life on Mars. In addition, this could potentially impact the global economy, as NASA would need more scientists and astronauts who are devoted to put their life at risk to investigate the mysteries of space. Humans have always dreamed about aliens and martians, but now they might even become impatient, as they wait for NASA to uncover new information.

This article is well written, as the author provides many pieces of evidence for the recent finding of what seems to be the discovery of water on Mars. The author did not just get his information from one place and referred to various credible sources. For instance, a graduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Lujendra Ojha, states his opinion, “It’s very definitive there is some sort of liquid water [on Mars].” Therefore, Ojha believes that the signs of salt found means there is a good chance water is present. Another strength that the author has is that he provides contrasting views about whether life can exist on Mars. While few scientists believe that people can live on Mars, Christopher P. McKay believes that Mars must be so salty life would not be possible.   

While this article had many strengths there was one weakness that stood out the most. While there is a great deal of evidence throughout this piece, the author makes it sound like he does not have concrete evidence that there is water on Mars. Although the author sounds 95 percent sure that there is water, not a single individual has physically seen this water. In order to improve this, the author could further investigate the pictures that were taken or do more research. The author should also make it abundantly clear to the reader that the article is primarily based on the predictions of individuals regarding life on mars, not based on tangible evidence.

Overall, the author thoroughly covered all of my questions on the matter, including my question regarding the evidence was found to prove that water existed on Mars. His research appears to be unbiased and accurate. Lastly, this article did not just teach me about the water discovered on Mars, but where the water might be coming from and if life can now exist on Mars.