It's life, but not as we know it - Red Plant

Martian minerals 'strongest evidence yet' of life on the red planet - and it could still be there

• Red Planet could have hosted microorganisms
• McLaughlin Crater holds traces of water altered minerals
• Findings could reveal clues about life on Earth

Martians may well have existed, and still be on the red planet - but not in any recognisable form, British scientists said today.
Scientists believe the discovery of minerals below the Red Planet's surface is the 'strongest evidence yet' it may have supported life.
But far from hosting little green men, our celestial neighbour was likely inhabited by simple microorganisms.

The huge McLaughlin Crater created by a meteorite which smashed into the surface of Mars, has been shown to reveal signs of life

Layers with Carbonate Content Inside McLaughlin Crater on Mars This view of layered rocks on the floor of McLaughlin Crater shows sedimentary rocks that contain spectroscopic evidence for minerals formed through interaction with water

Scientists at the University of Aberdeen looked at data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and ESA's Mars Express spacecrafts and analysed rocks and found they contain clays and minerals whose chemical make-up has been altered by water

Lifeless: This image provided by NASA shows the late-afternoon shadow cast by the Mars rover Opportunity

A new study led by the Natural History Museum, with the University of Aberdeen, found that all the ingredients for life were present just below the planet's surface for much of its history.
When meteorites strike the surface of Mars, they act like natural probes, bringing up rocks from far beneath the crust.
Looking at data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and ESA's Mars Express spacecrafts, they analysed rocks and found they contain clays and minerals whose chemical make-up has been altered by water.