Researchers have identified rocks that they say could contain the fossilised remains of life on early Mars.
The team made their discovery in the ancient rocks of Nili Fossae.
Their work has revealed that this trench on the dark side of Mars is a "dead ringer" for a region in Australia where some of the earliest evidence of life on Earth has been buried and preserved in mineral form.
We've heard this before, but this time the researchers are claiming that the Martian carbonate deposits are analogous to the ancient stromatolites found an area in north-west Australia called the Pilbara. Therefore, Nili Fossae would be an ideal candidate for a Martian rover and sample return mission. But the current administration has to weigh this need against their apparently more important stated desire for NASA to help stimulate increased interest in science among the Islamic world. To read the rest of the article, click here.