First Signs Of Water And Life On Mars, Satellite Images Spot Giant 'Kidney Beans'

New Delhi: A recently released photo by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, taken in September 2022 and made public in December 2024, shows a top-down view of the frosty, legume-like dunes, looking similar to "kidney beans," surprisingly motionless, to help scientists determine if conditions on the Red Planet could have once sustained life.

These Martian "kidney beans," which are actually frozen sand dunes in Mars' northern hemisphere, may appear static but, like Earth's dunes, they are typically shaped by the wind, with grains of sand being moved from one side to another, creating a slow-motion desert landscape.

The dunes in the photo are covered with a layer of carbon dioxide frost during Mars' northern hemisphere winter, which halts the wind from moving the sand and prevents the dunes from shifting until the spring thaw.

Pre-historic Traces of Water on Mars?

Images of frost-covered dunes can assist scientists in understanding whether water ever persisted on Mars' surface long enough to support life. Although the frost is composed of carbon dioxide rather than water, it still provides valuable insights into the likelihood that Mars had water for extended periods in the past.

The amount of carbon dioxide on Mars changes based on the planet's angle relative to the sun. While Earth's slight axial tilt causes mild seasonal variations, Mars experiences significant wobbling of its tilt over millions of years, drastically altering its seasons. When Mars tilts enough, carbon dioxide ice sublimates on a large scale, thickening the atmosphere. This denser atmosphere could have been sufficient to support liquid water for longer periods.

With a clearer understanding of how carbon dioxide frost forms and disappears under Mars' current conditions, scientists can improve their predictions about the planet's past climate. Analyzing the seasonal changes in frost can also help identify geologic formations created by carbon dioxide, providing more insight into Mars' changing climate. If there were times when the climate allowed for stable liquid water, there's a strong possibility that Mars could have supported microbial life, and it may still be hidden somewhere.