A University of Calgary scientist is hoping to determine whether Mars was ever capable of supporting life.

Ben Tutolo, an associate professor in the Department of Geoscience and Faculty of Science, began his research earlier this year and is using data from the Curiosity rover thatB次元官网网址檚 been exploring the Red Planet for the past decade.

The Canadian Space Agency, as part of the NASA-led Mars Science Laboratory mission, is funding the three-year study.

B次元官网网址淭he mission is to follow the water and understand B次元官网网址� were ancient environments on other planets, like Mars, habitable?B次元官网网址� said Tutolo, who is conducting the research alongside professor Steve Larter and associate professor Rachel Lauer.

B次元官网网址淲hat weB次元官网网址檙e doing with the Curiosity rover is exploring the rock record there (to) understand if these rocks at that time were ultimately habitable.B次元官网网址�

Tutolo said Curiosity has been providing a steady stream of data and has been collecting and analyzing samples as it slowly makes its way up Mount Sharp in the Gale Crater.

The rover, which had travelled almost 28 kilometres as of May 1, has multiple analyzers that can determine the chemistry and mineralogy of the rocks or soil surface on Mars. Its Canadian-made Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer has analyzed 1,211 samples and sent 2,659 results back to Earth.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 scooping up, drilling samples B次元官网网址� it can utilize in situ like a roving geologist who would also have a geochemical laboratory in the field,B次元官网网址� Tutolo said.

The focus of the research is to study the geological transition from the oldest lake sediments where Curiosity began its exploration to younger layers of sediment farther up.

Tutolo said the geological evidence from the oldest rocks in the crater show they are from a river-fed lake that contained water.

The newer specimens have found magnesium sulphate salts, which were likely the result of the water evaporating as the planet became drier, he said.

B次元官网网址淥bviously the transition has happened. There are no oceans or lakes on the planet today,B次元官网网址� Tutolo said.

He said the team is also conducting field research at the Basque Lakes near Cache Creek, B.C., which contain the same sulphate minerals found on Mount Sharp on Mars.

However, Tutolo said the fact that the Mars crater is 3.5 billion years old means there might not be a definite answer to whether life did exist there.

B次元官网网址淭hey have all been degraded in some ways. TheyB次元官网网址檝e all been transformed by the geological processes working overtime in the crater so B次元官网网址� there will be no smoking gun,B次元官网网址� Tutolo said.

But he said if the rock record shows it was theoretically habitable, then it can still answer some questions.

B次元官网网址淚f it was habitable, then we could start putting together scenarios for how life could have originated in such an environment and if it did originate, how it could potentially thrive in such an environment,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚 think what we can do as objective scientists is read the story that is written in the rocks and understand and lay the foundation and paint the picture of whether it was possible.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擝ill Graveland, The Canadian Press