Mars toxin doesn't rule out life

by jessica.lam | August 5, 2008 at 08:27 am

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Water being found on Mars a few days ago made the top on the science channel opening the door for possibilities. Unfortunately, NASA's Phoenix spacecraft has just found that chemically reactive material on the surface is less friendly to life than previously thought.

But NASA's scientists are urging the media to hold their horses while they try to find if the soil is fit for life.

NASA scientists on Tuesday said the surprise discovery of a sometimes toxic chemical on the surface of Mars does not diminish the possibility of finding microbial life on the Red Planet and asked for patience while they study soil samples further.

The space agency also cautioned that further tests were required to confirm that dirt analyzed by the Phoenix Mars Lander contains perchlorate, an oxidizing substance used in rocket fuel that on Earth can be harmful to life, and rule out contamination by the spacecraft.

NASA's initial announcement that Phoenix had detected perchlorate in the soil at the arctic circle of Mars had been greeted in the media and on the Internet by speculation that such a discovery would dampen the likelihood of finding microbial life there.

Here is the story on water found on Mars.

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