Nasa discovery ‘raises new questions’ about Mars

• Nasa's Curiosity Rover has captured images of coral-like and flower-shaped rocks on Mars, estimated to be billions of years old.
• On 24 July, the rover sent images of a one-inch wind-eroded rock resembling a piece of coral, found in the Gale Crater, which Nasa said “are already raising new questions about how the Martian surface was changing billions of years ago”.
• NASA explains these unique formations resulted from liquid water depositing hardened minerals in rock cracks as it dried up billions of years ago.
• The distinctive shapes are now visible due to eons of sandblasting by Martian wind, which wore away softer rock but left resistant minerals.
• The Curiosity Rover, which landed in 2012, continues to gather data and has found evidence of past habitable environments and potential microbial life on Mars.

IN FULL

NASA Curiosity rover discovers coral-like flower-shaped rocks on Mars