The Batagay crater, also known as the ‘Gateway to the Underworld’, is a colossal, expanding crater in Siberia’s permafrost. Formed by a collapsing hillside in the 1970s, it exposes the oldest permafrost in Siberia, dating back 650,000 years, offering invaluable insights into past climates and ancient life.
A striking ‘smiley face’ spotted on Mars by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is actually a remnant of an ancient lakebed, potentially harboring evidence of past life on the Red Planet. This discovery, part of a study cataloging chloride salt deposits on Mars, highlights these deposits as prime targets for astrobiological exploration due to their potential to preserve signs of past microbial life.
The Perseverance rover, unlike its predecessor, is specifically designed to search for evidence of ancient life on Mars. The rover will collect samples from the Jezero Crater, which once contained a lake and river system, and may have been habitable. One particularly intriguing sample, known as “Comet Geyser,” has been collected and may provide valuable insights due to its mineral composition and potential for preserving fossils or organic matter. The return of samples from Mars to Earth for further analysis is crucial for unlocking the secrets of the samples, but funding challenges have delayed the mission.
