New Fossil Evidence for Life on Mars?
By: TIME.COM Topics: SPACE , NASA , MARS , MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER NASA/Bryan Allen/Corbis Scientists say a collection of ancient rocks could hold evidence of life on Mars some four billion years ago.. The find comes from Nili Fossae, a fracture in the surface of Mars. The area is remarkably similar to a similar formation in Australia, thought to harbor the earliest examples of life found on earth. Though scientists have discovered no actual signs that life ever existed in the region -- the study was conducted via NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter -- they do believe the area could have been hospitable to life during the planet's history. ( See pictures of the patterns of Mars. ) And if that's true, there's a good chance it left some sort of trace behind. Rocks in this area of Mars have been extant for nearly three-quarters of the history of the planet, lending hope that a fossil record could exist. This is not the first suggestion of life on Mars. In spring 2009,