Opals Discovered on Martian Meteorite May Hint at Alien Life on Mars

Martian gems could actually point to evidence of life on the Red Planet. They've discovered physical evidence of opals on Mars, which could also mean that there's life.

The traces of the precious stone were found in a Martian meteorite. In all, the opal represents a 1.7-gram fraction of the meteorite named Nakhla, which has been sitting in the Natural History Museum in London. These traces could, potentially, help future exploration missions decide where to look for life on Mars.

"The slice of Nakhla that we have is small, and the amount of fire opal we've found in it is even smaller, but our discovery of opal is significant for a couple of reasons," said Martin Lee, lead author of the new study, in a news release. "Firstly, it definitively confirms findings from NASA's imaging and exploration of the Martian surface, which appeared to show deposits of opal. This is the first time that a piece of Mars here on Earth has been shown to contain opal."

The second reason, though, is perhaps even more interesting. Opals on Earth form in and around hot springs. Because microbial life thrives in these same conditions, it could be possible that such life actually exists. Not only that, but opal can trap and preserve microbes for millions of years; by hunting for opal on Mars, researchers can potentially test the gems for signs of life.

"Closer study of Martian opals by future missions to Mars could well help us learn more about the planet's past and whether it once held life," said Lee.

The findings are published in the journal Meteoritics and Planetary Science.

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