Mars discovery could change our understanding of how planets were formed

• Nasa's InSight lander has detected unusual blobs deep within Mars, which scientists suggest may be remnants of the planet's ancient ‘embryo’.
• These findings, published in the journal Science, could alter our understanding of how rocky planets like Mars, Venus, and Earth were formed.
• Seismic data from marsquakes revealed that Mars's mantle is not smooth but contains rough, ancient fragments up to 4km wide, preserving evidence of the planet's violent early history.
• Researchers believe these fragments are solidified remnants from vast magma oceans created by colossal impacts during Mars's formation, which then cooled and crystallised.
• The presence of the blobs “shows just how sluggishly Mars’s interior has been churning” for the past four-and-a-half billion years, scientists say.

IN FULL

Strange blobs found inside Mars could be remnants of something ancient, astronomers say