NASA’s Perseverance rover is on Mars searching for past life … and Australia could provide clues

Email ABC Science By Genelle Weule for Catalyst Updated March 08, 2021 11:51:00 Photo: A 360-degree panoramic shot of Perseverance’s new home. (Supplied: NASA/JPL-Caltech) Map: Marble Bar 6760 Did life ever exist on Mars? What could it have looked like? Scientists say there are clues hidden in the ancient landscapes of Australia. Video: Fish and coral inhabit the underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef (ABC: Catalyst). (ABC News) Beneath the turquoise surface of the Great Barrier Reef lies a world bursting with colour and movement. The reef is one of the most diverse places on Earth. But Earth’s oceans didn’t always look like this. Photo: Cyanobacteria contain structures in their cells called chloroplasts, which are involved in photosynthesis. (Getty Images: Ed Reschke) Life as we know it started with microbes. About 3.5 billion years ago Earth was covered in volcanoes and warm shallow seas, enveloped in a smelly atmosphere of methane and carbon dioxide. There was little life to speak of, except for simple microbes that could survive in oxygen-free environments. Then came the cyanobacteria. These blue-green bugs drank the sunlight, consumed carbon dioxide from the water and gradually pumped oxygen into the atmosphere. This was the boost our… Read full this story

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