water on mars and life

[...]... Terrestrial Life 48 3.2 Early Life 48 3.2.1 The Isua Greenstone Belt 49 3.2.2 The Barberton and Pilbara Greenstone Belts 50 3.3 Life on Mars? 56 3.3.1 Water on Mars 56 3.3.2 Environments for Life on Early Mars 57 3.3.3 Potential Early Life on Mars 58 3.4 Conclusions 59 3.5 References 60 4 Hydrated Minerals on Mars ... evidences of lakes on early and recent Mars and the environmental conditions relevant for life Microbial life in impact craters filled with water and salty environments in the subsurface together with their implication for Mars are illustrated in the following two chapters Finally, we dive into the hydrothermal vents in the deep sea, where early life on Earth may have diversified, and learn about prospects... 12.3.5 Can Halophiles Live in Permafrost? 288 12.4 Mars 288 12.4.1 History of Water on Mars 288 12.4.2 Evaporites on Mars 288 12.4.3 Water and Life on Mars 289 XII Contents 12.5 Conclusions 291 12.6 References 291 13 Microbiology of Deep-Sea Hyrothermal Vents: Lessons for Mars Exploration 299 Daniel Prieur 13.1 Deep-Sea Hydrothermal... Rivers and Lakes Without Rain 227 9.3 Conclusions 230 9.4 References 230 Contents XI 10 Ancient and Recent Lakes on Mars 235 Nathalie A Cabrol and Edmond A Grin 10.1 Early Mars: The Lake Planet 235 10.1.1 Water as a Prerequisite 235 10.1.2 Abundance and Diversity 237 10.2 Identification of Ancient Lakes 240 10.3 Modern Lakes and Ponds: Conditions... prospects for the future search for life on Mars Our knowledge about water on Mars is certainly incomplete and we may gain further new insight in the future through Mars missions as well as by observational, experimental and theoretical studies Mars Express Orbiter as well as the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit in Gusev Crater and Opportunity in Meridiani Planum in operation since early 2004 seem to become... 207 8.3.1 Influence of the Water Cycle on the Soil Moisture 207 8.3.2 Secular Variation of the Near-Surface Water Content 210 8.4 Conclusions 211 8.5 References 212 Part III Aqueous Environments and the Implications for Life 217 9 Polar Lakes, Streams, and Springs as Analogs for the Hydrological Cycle on Mars 219 Christopher P McKay, Dale T Andersen, Wayne H Pollard,... calculations were based upon the assumption that pre-eruptive magmas on Mars contained around 1.4 wt % water, together with an estimate of the volume of magma erupted in the last 3.9 billion years As this water would have been in addition to any retained and did not include that erupted prior to 3.9 Ga ago, it was considered a lower limit However, the actual water content of the hydrated phases [27] was only... 1.6 Conclusions 20 1.7 References 21 2 Atmospheric Evolution and the History of Water on Mars 25 Helmut Lammer, Franck Selsis, Thomas Penz, Ute V Amerstorfer, Herbert I M Lichtenegger, Christoph Kolb and Ignasi Ribas 2.1 The First Billion Years 25 2.1.1 The Source of the Martian Water 26 2.1.2 The Early Martian Atmosphere and the Radiation and Particle Environment... humidity ribonucleic acid Röntgen Satellite Small Detector scanning electron microscope standard mean ocean water Shergotty, Nakhla and Chassigny Southern permafrost region Thermal Evolved Gas Analyzer transmission electron miscroscope Thermal Emission Spectrometer terrestrial fractionation thermogravimetric analysis Thermal Emission Imaging System terrestrial seawater ultraviolet Viking lander visible/near-infrared... majority of water released during analysis originates from terrestrial alteration products The contribution of terrestrial contamination will also depend upon the surface conditions at the site of collection and has been found to be particularly severe for those meteorites recovered from desert locations For example DaG 476, a meteorite collected from the Libyan desert, was found to have a water content . Greenstone Belt 49 3.2.2 The Barberton and Pilbara Greenstone Belts 50 3.3 Life on Mars? 56 3.3.1 Water on Mars 56 3.3.2 Environments for Life on Early Mars 57 3.3.3 Potential Early Life on Mars. Mars 288 12.4.3 Water and Life on Mars 289 XII Contents 12.5 Conclusions 291 12.6 References 291 13 Microbiology of Deep-Sea Hyrothermal Vents: Lessons for Mars Exploration 299 Daniel. and the environmental conditions relevant for life. Micro- bial life in impact craters filled with water and salty environments in the sub- surface together with their implication for Mars are illustrated