The Atlantic

New Evidence for a Hidden Lake on Mars

Scientists say they have found a large body of water just below the surface, raising questions about the potential for life.
Source: NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of Arizona

On the surface, Mars is the picture of desolation. A barren land unchanged for hundreds of millions of years, motionless except for the scattering of powdery dust by a faint breeze, or the slow crawl of a rover.

But perhaps just beneath the Martian soil, the picture is very different.

New evidence suggests the presence of a lake one mile beneath the ice-coated surface of Mars’s south pole, according to published Wednesday in . Scientists say the lake stretches 20 kilometers, or about 12 miles, across, and is one meter, or more than 3 feet, in depth. The findings, if confirmed, would mark

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Atlantic

The Atlantic5 min read
The Strangest Job in the World
This is an edition of the Books Briefing, our editors’ weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for it here. The role of first lady couldn’t be stranger. You attain the position almost by accident, simply by virtue of being married to the president
The Atlantic5 min readAmerican Government
What Nikki Haley Is Trying to Prove
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Nikki Haley faces terrible odds in her home state of
The Atlantic3 min read
The Coen Brothers’ Split Is Working Out Fine
It’s still a mystery why the Coen brothers stopped working together. The pair made 18 movies as a duo, from 1984’s Blood Simple to 2018’s The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, setting a new standard for black comedy in American cinema. None of those movies w

Related Books & Audiobooks