Space News: Ancient Mars may have had a carbon cycle − a new study suggests the red planet may have once been warmer, wetter and more favorable for life

 

A panorama created from images taken by the rover Curiosity while it was working at a site called ‘Rocknest’ in 2012. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems

Mars, one of our closest planetary neighbors, has fascinated people for hundreds of years, partly because it is so similar to Earth. It is about the same size, contains similar rocks and minerals, and is not too much farther out from the Sun.

Because Mars and Earth share so many features, scientists have long wondered whether Mars could have once harbored life. Today, Mars is very cold and dry, with little atmosphere and no liquid water on the surface − traits that make it a hostile environment for life. But some observations suggest that ancient Mars may have been warmer, wetter and more favorable for life.

Even though scientists observing the surface of Mars conclude that it was once warmer than it is today, they haven’t been able to find much concrete evidence for what caused it to be warmer. But a study my colleagues and I published in April 2025 indicates the presence of carbonate minerals on the planet, which could help solve this puzzle.

Carbonate minerals contain carbon dioxide, which, when present in the atmosphere, warms a planet. These minerals suggest that carbon dioxide could have previously existed in the atmosphere in larger quantities and provide exciting new clues about ancient Mars’ environment.

As a geochemist and astrobiologist who has studied Mars for more than 15 years, I am fascinated by Mars’ past and the idea that it could have been habitable.

Ancient carbon cycle on past Mars

Observations of Mars from orbiting satellites and rovers show river channels and dry lakes that suggest the Martian surface once had liquid water. And these instruments have spotted minerals on its surface that scientists can analyze to get an idea of what Mars may have been like in the past.

Mars floating in space
Today, Mars is very cold, with a thin atmosphere and dry climate. But in the ancient past, it may have been warmer and wetter, with a thicker heat-trapping atmosphere. NASA/J. Bell - Cornell U./M. Wolff - SSI via AP, File

If ancient Mars had liquid water, it would have needed a much warmer climate than it has today. Warmer planets usually have thick atmospheres that trap heat. So, perhaps the Martian atmosphere used to be thicker and composed of heat-trapping carbon dioxide. If Mars did once have a thicker carbon dioxide-containing atmosphere, scientists predict that they’d be able to see traces of that atmospheric carbon dioxide on the surface of Mars today.

Gaseous carbon dioxide dissolves in water, a chemical process that can ultimately contribute to formation of solid minerals at and below the surface of a planet − essentially removing the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Lots of scientists have previously tried to find carbonate minerals on the surface of Mars, and part of the excitement about a warmer, wetter early Mars is that it could have been a suitable environment for ancient microbial life.

Finding carbonates on Mars

Previous searches for carbonates on Mars have turned up observations of carbonates in meteorites and at two craters on Mars: Gusev crater and Jezero crater. But there wasn’t enough to explain a warmer past climate on Mars.

For the past few years, the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover has been traversing a region called Gale crater. Here, the rover’s chemistry and mineralogy instrument has discovered lots of the iron-rich carbonate mineral siderite.

The Curiosity rover on the dusty surface of Mars. The rover has six thick wheels and multiple scientific instruments and cameras.
The Curiosity rover has detected carbonates on Mars’ surface. NASA

As my colleagues and I detail in our new study about these results, this carbonate mineral could contain some of the missing atmospheric carbon dioxide needed for a warmer, wetter early Mars.

The rover also found iron oxyhydroxide minerals that suggest some of these rocks later dissolved when they encountered water, releasing a portion of their carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. Although it is very thin, the modern Martian atmosphere is still composed mainly of carbon dioxide.

In other words, these new results provide evidence for an ancient carbon cycle on Mars. Carbon cycles are the processes that transfer carbon dioxide between different reservoirs − such as rocks on the surface and gas in the atmosphere.

Potential habitats for past microbial life on Mars

Scientists generally consider an environment habitable for microbial life if it contains liquid water; nutrients such as carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur and necessary trace elements; an energy source; and conditions that were not too harsh − not too acidic, too salty or too hot, for example.

Since observations from Gale crater and other locations on Mars show that Mars likely had habitable conditions, could Mars then have hosted life? And if it did, how would researchers be able to tell?

Although microorganisms are too small for the human eye to detect, they can leave evidence of themselves preserved in rocks, sediments and soils. Organic molecules from within these microorganisms are sometimes preserved in rocks and sediments. And some microbes can form minerals or have cells that can form certain shapes. This type of evidence for past life is called a biosignature.

Collecting Mars samples

If Mars has biosignatures on or near the surface, researchers want to know that they have the right tools to detect them.

So far, the rovers on Mars have found some organic molecules and chemical signatures that could have come from either abiotic − nonliving − sources or past life.

The Curiosity rover travels across Mars searching for signs that the planet could have once been habitable.

However, determining whether the planet used to host life isn’t easy. Analyses run in Earth’s laboratories could provide more clarity around where these signatures came from.

To that end, the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover has been collecting and sealing samples on Mars, with one cache placed on the surface of Mars and another cache remaining on the rover.

These caches include samples of rock, soil and atmosphere. Their contents can tell researchers about many aspects of the history of Mars, including past volcanic activity, meteorite impacts, streams and lakes, wind and dust storms, and potential past Martian life. If these samples are brought to Earth, scientists could examine them here for signs of ancient life on another planet.The Conversation

Elisabeth M. Hausrath, Professor of Geoscience, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Written by: Elisabeth M. Hausrath, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Friday evening shooting injures one

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Authorities are investigating a Friday evening shooting in Nice that sent one victim to the hospital.

Lauren Berlinn, spokesperson for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, said law enforcement was on the scene in the area of Floyd Way and Buckingham Way in Nice on Friday evening and that there was no immediate threat to public safety.

“The community remains safe, and detectives and deputies are actively investigating this incident,” she said.

The shooting was first reported at 6 p.m., when deputies responded to the area of Lakeview Way and Buckingham Way in Nice due to reports of a shooting, Berlinn said.

Radio traffic indicated that Northshore Fire initially was dispatched to a report of a vehicle into a ditch at Kelly Road and Floyd Way, with a possible gunshot.

That first call was followed shortly afterward by reports that a juvenile had been shot and was bleeding from the chest at a location in the area of Lakeview Drive and Buckingham Way.

Additional reports over the radio between dispatch, firefighters and deputies said a driveby shooting had occurred.

Firefighters found a vehicle, mostly on its roof, on Floyd Way. It also was determined that the two calls — for the vehicle crash and shooting — were related.

Witnesses told authorities that the injured juvenile was placed in a vehicle and taken to the hospital.

Radio reports also noted other vehicles that had been seen leaving the area, including a black Suburban that left the scene with three individuals after more shots were fired.

It was later reported over the air that the shooting victim had arrived at Sutter Lakeside Hospital for treatment.

Berlinn said the victim was in stable condition and flown to an out-of-county hospital for treatment.

As of Friday night, no arrests had been made, Berlinn said.

“This appears to be an isolated incident,” she said.

As the investigation continued, authorities asked that the public avoid the area of the incident.

Berlinn said updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

If you have information related to this investigation, please call the Major Crimes Unit tipline at 707-262-4088.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.

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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Thompson welcomes home Fourth District DACA recipient denied entry back into U.S.

Last week, U.S. Representative Mike Thompson (CA-04) sat down with a constituent and DACA recipient from California’s Fourth Congressional District who was denied entry back into the U.S. for weeks after a trip to Mexico due to a clerical error by U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services.

DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. It does not provide for permanent citizenship for impacted individuals.

The constituent, who is identified only as Jane Doe to remain anonymous, sat down with Rep. Thompson to discuss the harrowing incident and how Thompson and his team were able to intervene to bring her home.

Watch the video here.

“Through no fault of her own, Jane was wrongfully denied re-entry from Mexico into the United States due to a paperwork error made by U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services,” said Thompson. “It’s sad that the federal government can make an error that causes a legal resident of the United States — in this case, my constituent — to have to miss three weeks of work, stay in a foreign country, and leave her family without their sole breadwinner for weeks. It took my office, my staff, and myself to intervene to get her home.

He added, “Constituent services are an important part of my job and my staff and I are dedicated to helping all of our constituents on any matters they have with the federal government.”

When she was stranded in Mexico, Jane said she reached out to Congressman Thompson, and he and his team listened to her story, supported her and provided her with help to solve her situation.

“If not for them, I don't think I would be here today. Thank you for everything,” she said.

On March 26, Jane Doe contacted Thompson’s Washington, D.C. office to ask for help from the Congressman and his team.

Jane had traveled to Mexico legally after being granted an I-131 petition which allows a DACA recipient to leave the country and return for a justified reason. Jane filed her paperwork on time and without errors, and was granted the petition before leaving for her trip.

At the conclusion of her trip, Jane was denied entry onto the plane to fly home to the North Bay. Border patrol officials pointed out that the paperwork sent to Jane by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, listed the wrong dates for her return, despite Jane filing for the correct dates.

Thompson’s office intervened to inquire with the USCIS San Francisco office as well as Customs & Border Control.

Thompson and his team worked through USCIS to have Jane’s documents reissued and coordinated to have them couriered to Jane in Mexico. She was able to fly home on Saturday, April 27.

Fourth District residents who face issues with passports and visas, veterans’ benefits, IRS issues, agricultural issues, small business assistance, immigration, Medicare and Medicaid, or any other problem navigating the federal government are encouraged to contact Rep. Thompson’s nearest office for support:

• Napa: 707-226-9898.
• Santa Rosa: 707-542-7182.
• Woodland: 530-753-3501.
• Washington: 202-225-3311.

Thompson represents California’s Fourth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.
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Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS

Estate Planning: Hidden pitfalls of do it yourself handwritten wills

Dennis Fordham. Courtesy photo.

The do-it-yourself handwritten (“holographic”) will has its place but it does have a multitude of hidden traps for the unwary and so should not be taken as the “go to” approach.

I say “hidden traps” because handwritten wills are written by non-attorneys who, for one reason or another, are unable or unwilling to go to an attorney to get a professionally drafted will.

That said, given that handwritten wills are being used it is good to know what issues to look out for.

Does the will include a so-called “residuary clause”? Some handwritten wills speak only to specific gifts of real and personal property and do not say anything about who inherits the “rest of the estate.”

That is a major oversight. What that means is that the will of the testator (will maker) is only partially sufficient and that the testator is therefore only partially testate, and also partially intestate.

That is, whatever assets are not specifically addressed (as to distribution) goes to the testator’s heirs by intestacy (dying without a will). That is right. A decedent in that situation would die partially testate and partially intestate.

The lesson here is make sure that the will says who inherits the rest of the decedent’s real and personal assets.

Does the will have a disinheritance clause? If the testator wishes to disinherit any of his or her heirs (typically the testator’s children) then the will should expressly disinherit these persons, and maybe even the children of these disinherited persons.

An attorney-drafted will has a comprehensive disinheritance clause that expressly disinherits all the testators’ heirs who are not otherwise named as a beneficiary under the will.

Does the will provide for alternative beneficiaries? What happens to bequests (gifts under a will) made to a beneficiary who fails to survive the testator? Attorney-drafted wills speak to such situations.

Does the will have a “no contest” clause? If the testator wants to dissuade a disgruntled beneficiary from contesting the will, then a well drafted “no contest” clause may discourage that beneficiary from disputing the will in order to avoid losing whatever gift(s) are made to that beneficiary.

Naturally, if someone gets nothing or too little under the will then a “no contest” clause is ineffectual as there is nothing to lose except attorney fees and court costs.

Does the will waive the bond requirement? Many people are unaware that personal representatives of an estate are required to post a bond in the amount of the assets in the estate. Most attorney-drafted wills expressly waive the bond requirement.

Most all do-it-yourself handwritten wills, however, are silent (due to the testator’s not knowing) and thus do not waive the bond requirement. If the will nominates a person who is unable to pay for the bond, or is simply not bondable because of their income, net worth and/or credit rating, then that person will likely have to decline the nomination.

Does the will nominate an executor and alternative executors who are willing and able to serve? Some handwritten wills do not even nominate an executor. Other handwritten wills nominate only one person and that person may or may not be agreeable to serve. A will should nominate one or two alternative persons to serve as executor.

Does the will consent to the executor having full independent powers of administration? Full independent powers of administration make the sale of real and personal assets less expensive and time consuming insofar as the legal process is concerned. Most attorney-drafted wills expressly provide for the executor to have full independent powers of administration.

Handwritten wills are commonly used by persons going on vacation or by persons near death (e.g., on their death bed). It offers an immediate and easy solution to estate planning. When possible, however, see an attorney and get a professionally drafted will or living trust to achieve a better outcome.

The foregoing is not legal advice.  Consult a qualified estate planning attorney for guidance.

Dennis A. Fordham, Attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 707-263-3235. 




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Written by: DENNIS FORDHAM

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