![NASA found an evidence of life on the Red Planet [Image via YouTube/ kami]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/10/10/660x290/b_502x220x82/nasa-found-an-evidence-of-life-on-the-red-planet-image-via-youtube-kami_1623463.jpg "NASA found an evidence of life on the Red Planet [Image via YouTube/ kami]")
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) found a region (Eridania) on the Red Planet that contains a massive lake dating back billions of years, according to EarthSky. The new discovery by MRO could be very helpful in terms of exploring Mars. NASA announced the new discovery on October 6.
Scientists believe that once Mars held lots of water on its surface, but due to surface erosion, they could not find the place where water had been sustained bbyMRO's evidence. They also considered that Life On Earth had started 4 billion years ago. Mars and Earth are neighbor planets and both formed from gases and dust around the newly born Sun.
Mars could help to study origin of life on Earth
Researchers said that the Eridania region gave an evidence of hydrothermal mineral deposits on the seafloor of the Red Planet that existed around 3.7 billion years ago. Such regions exist in the oceans of Earth where many living organisms grow because of chemical energy extracted from underwater rocks in the absence of sunlight, according to BGR.
Some scientists believe that life on Earth started in the hydrothermal vents (mainly found near volcanoes or ocean basisns). It is difficult to study the origin of life on the outer crust of the Earth because it is always moving. Scientists are looking forward to finding such vents in the Eridania region of Mars, which could help them to study the evolution of life on Earth.
Volcanic activities give evidence of life
Planetary geologist and analytical geochemist at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Paul Niles, said that the Volcanic activities in standing water provide conditions that existed on Earth similar to the time "when early life was evolving here." But, now there is no water and no volcanic activity on the Red Planet, the Sun reported.
According to researchers' estimation, Ancient Martian sea contained 50,000 cubic miles of water, which would be equal to the combined volume of water in all the Great Lakes of North America. Niles also said, " This site gives us a compelling story for a deep, long-lived sea," according to EarthSky.
Many space agencies around the world hope to land humans on Mars in the next 10 or 20 years.
Tesla founder Elon Musk estimated that his space exploration company SpaceX would send humans to Mars by 2024. His ultimate goal is to colonize the solar system, starting with Moon and then Mars, and make humans the multi-planetary species.
