'Compelling' evidence of life on Mars: Nasa

Scientists from Nasa have reportedly found “compelling” new evidence of life on Mars.

A special mission to the Red Planet has revealed the presence of a form of pond scum — the building blocks of life as we know it, reports the Sun.

Experts from Nasa put forward the claim as they unveiled the results of the recent Opportunity and Spirit probes, which were sent millions of miles through the solar system to discover signs of extraterrestrial life.
The researchers say that the results are so promising that the agency has already planned a host of other missions to discover whether there is extraterrestrial life in the universe.

The recent missions have gathered evidence of sulphates on Mars, a strong indication there is water on the planet and, therefore, life. Previous missions to Mars have concluded there is probably water on the planet.
But the Nasa researchers said the recent missions have gone further than any others in proving there is life on Mars.

They were particularly excited about the discovery of a sulphate called gypsum which, it has emerged recently, is found in large quantities among fossils in the Mediterranean.

“One, thanks to Opportunity and the rovers and orbital imaging it is clear that there are literally vast areas of Mars that are carpeted with various sorts of sulphates, including gypsum.,” the Sun quoted Bill Schopf, a researcher at the University of California in Los Angeles, as saying.

Almost 30 Nasa missions to discover life in space - including one to bring back rocks from Mars — have already been planned.

Agencies