Mars Photos Suggest Ancient Hot Springs

Scientists have found what look like the remains of hot springs on Mars—a sign life could have existed there, reports the Washington Post. Sophisticated equipment returned images of “mounds” that appear remarkably similar to springs found in Australia, according to scientists. They appear to have dried up tens of millions of years ago--fairly recently, in planetary terms.

“This is the first time that features so close in all of their shapes and details to springs on Earth have been reported and identified on Mars,” said one scientist. But more facts are needed, and so far, “the results are open to interpretation,” said another researcher. (More Mars stories.)