Ibinahagi ng Curiosity Mars rover ng NASA ang ilang mga larawan ng planetang Mars kung saan naispatan umano ang “hexagonal mud cracks” na tinitingnan ng scientists na maaaring unang ebidensya umano na mayroon itong “wet-dry cycles” katulad ng Earth.

Sa isang Instagram post, nagbahagi ang NASA ng kabuuang larawan ng Mars at ng malapitang larawan ng ibabaw nito.

“Our Curiosity Mars rover spotted distinctive hexagonal mud cracks that scientists speculate may offer the first evidence of wet-dry cycles on Mars,” anang NASA.

“One of the prevailing theories as to how life began on Earth is that persistent cycles of wet and dry conditions on land helped kickstart the complex chemical building blocks necessary for microbial life.⁣”

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Inihayag din ng NASA na namataan ang nasabing mud cracks habang umaakyat ito sa pagitan ng sedimentary layers ng Mount Sharp sa isang transitional zone, sa pagitan ng clay-rich layer at isang enriched salty mineral region sa itaas.

“Transitional zones offer records depicting when long dry periods became prevalent, and rivers and lakes began to recede. The hexagonal patterns occur as the mud dries, shrinking and fracturing into T-shape junctions. When the junctions are repeatedly exposed to water, the T-junctions soften and become Y-shaped, eventually forming hexagons,” paliwanag ng NASA.