Mars is 'covered in table salt' (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Helen Briggs
Science reporter, BBC News

Mars appears to be covered in salt crystals from ancient dried-up lakes, new evidence suggests.

A Nasa probe has found signs that the southern hemisphere is dusted with chloride mineral, perhaps "table salt".

US scientists think the mineral formed when water evaporated from salty lakes or soil billions of years ago.

The deposits, similar to salt-pans on Earth, are a good place to search for traces of past life preserved in salt, they report in the journal Science.

The evidence comes from a camera on Mars Odyssey, which has been mapping the Red Planet since early 2002.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7302591.stm

[liberal N proud]

1. Dried up oceans?

Maybe a glimpse into the future of earth.

[nebenaube]

5. every discussion of global warming I had in college

used Mars as the example...

[OwnedByFerrets]

2. Now if we can figure out a way

to make table salt run our combustion engines, we can go rape another planet.:sarcasm:

[Speck Tater]

3. Forget that. Jupiter's atmosphere is methane and ammonia.

In other words, fuelfertilizer!!! Those are the two most critical things we need crude oil for. A pipeline to Juptier would solve the energy crisis forever!

[LiberalEsto]

4. But the pepper

is on Jupiter

:crazy: