Boron has been discovered on Mars. Free Technical Library News

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Boron discovered on Mars

16.09.2017

Mars rover Curiosity found boron in rocks on the Red Planet. The presence of this chemical element on Mars theoretically increases the likelihood of the birth of terrestrial life on the planet.

Curiosity found boron in a calcium sulfate mineral vein in Gale Crater. This means that boron was present in Martian groundwater. It has already been established that the groundwater in this place once had a temperature of 0-60 ° C and was a neutral or slightly alkaline environment in terms of Ph level (which is also quite suitable for the existence of life).

The discovery was made using the scanning laser ChemCam (from the words "chemistry" and "camera") mounted on the rover, created jointly by scientists from Lo Alamos and the French Space Agency.

Boron plays an important role in stabilizing the polysaccharide structure of RNA (ribonucleic acid), one of the key molecules found in all living organisms. Working in conjunction with DNA, RNA ensures the reading of information encrypted in genes and the synthesis of proteins based on it, and this is the basis of the life and development of any living being.

Thus, the presence of boron on the Red Planet theoretically increases the chances that life could once have originated there.

Boron compounds are one of the possible "bridges" between simple organic molecules and RNA. Without RNA, there is no life. The presence of boron tells us that if there was organic matter on Mars, such chemical reactions could occur.

It is noteworthy that the age of the deposits in which boron was discovered is estimated by scientists at 3,8 billion years. This is later than, according to modern ideas, life originated on Earth.

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