Lots of evidence The presence of water in the ancient evolution of Mars Collected in recent decades.

The surface of Mars today lacks the water needed for life on Earth. So what happened to make the planet a desert?

Several explanations have been put forward, including the weakening of the planet’s magnetic field, which could lead to the disappearance of its dense atmosphere.

According to Professor Kun Wang and his colleagues at the University of Washington in St. Louis, the answer lies elsewhere, and is related to the size of the planet.

To establish this, these researchers measured the isotopic composition of potassium in twenty Martian meteorites to estimate the presence, distribution, and abundance of volatile substances such as water on Mars.

These analyzes show that Mars lost more potassium during its evolution, but retains more of it than the Moon and the asteroid 4-Vesta. Thus they show a clear relationship between the size of a star and the isotopic structure of its potassium.

These results suggest that planets with large masses of rocks retain more unstable elements than smaller planets during their formation.

The fate of Mars was decided from the beginning , Professor Wang said in a statement released by the university. Rocky planets may have a size range that can hold enough water to allow for habitat and plate tectonics., He adds. Mars is below this limit.

Mars’ equator circumference and diameter are twice as small as Earth’s.

Photo: NASA

Criteria for review

This work will help scientists find life on other planets.

To this day, the idea of AccommodationThat is, the distance between a planet and its star is considered to be the central factor in the ability to retain the elements necessary for the formation of life on the surface of a planet.

Our study shows that the planets have a limited amount of space, but water is not enough to expand the habitat environment., Says Klose Mesger of the University of Bern in Switzerland, who co-authored the study.

These results will lead astronomers to search for habitable exoplanets in other solar systems.

Mr. Wang believes that in addition to the place of residence, The size of the planet should be taken into account when evaluating the chances of an exoplanet sustaining life.

That’s the decent thing to do, and it should end there One of the easiest parameters to determine the size of an exoplanet, In his opinion.

Based on size and mass, we can now determine whether an exoplanet is a candidate for the presence of life, as these are the factors that sustain the variables. Mr. Mesge clarifies

Details of this work have been published Procedures of the National Academy of Sciences (New window) (In English).