NASA announced yesterday that the first chemical analysis of Martian dirt done in the lab of the Phoenix Mars Lander produced some interesting results. The dirt contained several soluble minerals, including potassium, magnesium, and chloride-- all of which are found in living systems as well as in nonbiological settings.
Coupled with Phoenix' earlier discovery of water ice just under the surface, the dirt analysis brings the possibility of life on Mars one step closer. The surface of Mars is pounded by lethal radiation from the Sun, but subsurface life seems a real option. Phoenix, however, may or may not be able to find any life or evidence of life. Still, after all these years, it's possible the only thing separating humanity from absolute proof that life exists elsewhere in the universe is a column of Martian dirt a few meters deep directly under Phoenix.
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