【Secret Tutoring (2018)】

The Secret Tutoring (2018)car-sized Curiosity rover has spotted evidence of once quite hospitable environs on Mars.

As shown in the imagery below, the NASA robot investigated dried-up lake beds and captured views of ripple formations on their ancient shorelines. Like on Earth, these ripples were almost certainly formed by small waves on open-air (not ice-covered) lakes, planetary scientists say. It provides evidence that Mars was warm, wet, and habitable at a time some research suggests the planet started cooling and transforming into an extremely dry and frigid desert.

These ripples formed some 3.7 billion years ago. (For reference, the earliest known fossils on Earth formed some 3.5 billion years ago.)

---

You May Also Like

---

---

"Extending the length of time that liquid water was present extends the possibilities for microbial habitability later into Mars's history," Claire Mondro, a Caltech postdoc who researches the planet's past and led the new study, said in a statement. The research was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances.

SEE ALSO: NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills.

Mars today is 1,000times drier than the driest desert on Earth. Though no evidence of primitive Martian life has yet been found, it's grown clear that the planet hosted watery environs conducive for such microbes to potentially form. In this case, the evidence of shoreline rippling underscores that these shallow lakes — at least some 200 to 500 meters (650 to 1640 feet) across — were open-air bodies of water, meaning they weren't blanketed in ice cover, as we see on winter lakes or ponds on Earth. This points to hospitable environs.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"The shape of the ripples could only have been formed under water that was open to the atmosphere and acted upon by wind," Mondro explained.

The views below show these ancient ripples, formed in ancient soil and now preserved as Martian rock. They're small, each at some six millimeters (about a quarter inch) high.

---

Related Stories

---

• Aliens haven't contacted us. Scientists found a compelling reason why.
• NASA built new tires for Mars. They're nothing like your tires.
• The best telescopes for gazing at stars and solar eclipses in 2024
• Webb telescope just solved the 'universe-breaking problem'
• If a scary asteroid will actually strike Earth, here's how you'll know

Preserved ripples on Mars' surface. Credit: Mondro et al. Science Advances, January 2025 More ripples observed by NASA's Curiosity rover. Credit: Mondro et al. Science Advances, January 2025

Though Mars once harbored bounties of water, the Red Planet gradually lost its insulating atmosphere, in part to effects of solar radiation and a weakened magnetic field. Ultimately Mars' once thick atmosphere diminished, and bounties of water escaped. Without this insulating blanket, the planet dried out.

Yet for millions of years, Mars at least had the opportunity for life to flourish in lakes, or the moist clays of river deltas. NASA hopes to robotically return pristine Mars rock samples home in the 2030s; the space agency thinks they could potentially show evidence of past surface life.

But even if Martian life never dwelled on the surface, it's possible that life thrived, or even thrives, deep beneath the ground, shielded from the extremes of the callous desert and pummeling radiation.

Topics NASA

• Science
• Life
• Social Good
• Shopping
• Entertainment
• Deals
• Digital Culture
• Tech

• Bargaining For the Common Good
• 'Sherlock' creator shuts down Season 4 critics with poetic open letter
• NASA's first African
• Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds mourned in private memorial
• NYT Connections hints and answers for May 18: Tips to solve 'Connections' #707.
• Oh jeez, we forgot it was National Bird Day. Here are some cool birds.
• Chelsea Handler to lead 'Women's March' at the Sundance Film Festival
• Basslet's wearable subwoofer lets you feel the bass in your body
• 10 Tech Predictions for 2017
• Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds mourned in private memorial

• Scarlett Johansson is going after an AI app that used her likeness without permission
• 13 amazing holiday gifts for the person who already has it all
• The Airless, Lacquered Perfection of Steely Dan’s “Gaucho”
• What do intimate washes do to our vaginas?
• Tinder launches Election Center ahead of midterm elections
• Sitting Up: A Brief History of Chairs
• 'Sly' review: A Stallone documentary that plays like a 'Rocky' sequel`
• The cost of living crisis is impacting our dating habits
• Dying on the Toilet: On Francis Bacon’s “Triptych May–June 1973”
• How to stream 'Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny'

• Google Pixel Buds Pro 2: $40 off at Amazon
• Pregnant woman shares touching moment with orangutan at zoo
• Amazon launches 'Business' service in India to target enterprise customers
• Can you spot the massive error in this Washington Post cover?
• NYT Connections hints and answers for April 25: Tips to solve 'Connections' #684.
• Google is thinking about bringing digital payment services to India
• Pope Francis and Mark Zuckerberg use the same simple trick to protect themselves from hackers
• Alexis Bledel joins Hulu's 'The Handmaid's Tale' as a rebel sex slave
• NYT Strands hints, answers for April 14
• J.K. Rowling released a teaser for her new book, and it's as cryptic as ever

• Bomb Envy
• Here's 20 sweet seconds of Ed Sheeran's brand new music
• Razer's Project Ariana turns your entire wall into an extended screen
• Sony built a giant 4K projector for reading magazines
• Reality Distortion Field: 10 Things Apple Won't Directly Say But We'll Infer About the iPhone X
• 'CS:GO' players vote to ditch Professional Esports Association's first season
• Could 2017 be the year people take universal basic income seriously?
• Tinder trolls CES by pitching a regular reality headset
• WhatsApp launches 'Advanced Chat Privacy' to protect sensitive conversations
• Tennis legend Roger Federer playing a pair of 'air bongos' is pure dorky joy