The Atlantic

A New Glimpse Into the Martian Past

The Curiosity rover is at it again.
Source: NASA / JPL-Caltech

Several billion years ago, when it was a young planet, Mars was different. Liquid water pooled in deep craters carved out of the landscape by violent collisions with space rocks. Rivers snaked through the jagged terrain. The planet was wrapped in a warm, thick atmosphere, and mountaintops pierced a sky not unlike our own.

Today, Mars is a cold, barren desert world, with a wispy atmosphere and no hope for liquid water. But thanks to the work of a small, diligent rover, scientists are finding

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