NASA Found Opal on Mars. What’s It Mean for the Search for Past Life?

The fact that opal was found in the ground at Mars’ Gale Crater means Gale Crater probably once had large amounts of groundwater, and probably more recently than we used to think. Talia Sepersky, a planetarium educator, breaks down the significance of NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover discovering opal on the Red Planet. The discovery of water on Mars would be a game-changer in the field of space exploration. The possibility of liquid water on the Red Planet raises the prospect of finding evidence of past or even present life, and opens up new possibilities for future human colonization. The potential implications of finding water on Mars are endless, making it a highly sought-after goal for space agencies and scientists around the world.