Recent Martian Rivers?

Scientists using images taken by probes orbiting Mars suggest there were running rivers on the planet fewer than a billion years ago. That's obviously a long while back, but the current consensus view is that Mars' wet period ended about 3.5 billion years ago, which would make life on Mars at any time relatively unlikely. Liquid water on the surface a billion years ago would be encouraging to those searching for life.

The evidence for rivers is a system of 800 foot wide valleys in a crater in Mars' northern hemisphere that scientists say was cut by running water. They believe that even now a glacier of water ice covered by dust exists in the crater, which is at a low elevation. That means the atmospheric pressure at the floor of the crater would be higher than normal on Mars, which would better support liquid water.

Life has not been found on Mars to date, but it remains a tantalyzing possibility. Scientists have narrowed places to look for life. They are developing fairly sophisticated search strategies. If life ever arose on Mars, we should know within decades, if not sooner.