NASA rover finds 3.5-billion-year-old Martian shoreline in Jezero crater

Scientists exploring Mars have uncovered strong new evidence that the Red Planet once had wave-washed beaches and long-lasting water activity, making it an even...

Perseverance Rover discovers an ancient Martian beach, complete with waves

When the rover now named Perseverance landed in Jezero crater in early 2021, scientists already knew they had picked an interesting place to scope...

How tiny Mars helps set Earth’s ice ages

Mars is only about half the size of Earth and has just one-tenth of our planet’s mass. Compared with giants like Jupiter, it seems far...

Thin ice may have kept ancient Martian lakes alive for decades

For years, scientists have faced a puzzling contradiction about Mars. On one hand, the planet is covered with ancient lake beds, shorelines, and sediment layers...

How ancient Mars may have kept its lakes liquid

For years, scientists have puzzled over a contradiction on Mars. The planet’s surface is covered with features that look unmistakably like ancient lake beds—shorelines, layered...

NASA’s Perseverance Rover is ready for many more miles—and new discoveries on Mars

After nearly five years on Mars, NASA’s Perseverance rover is proving it was built to last. Since landing in February 2021, the six-wheeled robot has...

How Mars controls Earth’s climate

Earth's climate has swung between ice ages and warmer periods for millions of years, driven by subtle changes in our planet's orbit and axial...

What time is it on Mars? Scientists finally have a precise answer

On Earth, telling time is easy. Our clocks are synchronized using atomic clocks, GPS satellites, and fast communication networks. But according to Einstein’s theory of...

Living microbes found in a meteorite crater may offer clues to life on Mars

Scientists have discovered living, methane-producing microbes deep inside a massive meteorite impact crater in Sweden, and the find could change the way researchers think...

Scientists capture the sound of sparks on Mars

For the first time, scientists have confirmed that tiny bursts of electricity are happening in the atmosphere of Mars. These sparks were picked up by...