Boron enrichment in martian clay.
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 23762242.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0064624 and PMC identifier 3675118.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
We have detected a concentration of boron in martian clay far in excess of that in any previously reported extra-terrestrial object. This enrichment indicates that the chemistry necessary for the formation of ribose, a key component of RNA, could have existed on Mars since the formation of early clay deposits, contemporary to the emergence of life on Earth. Given the greater similarity of Earth and Mars early in their geological history, and the extensive disruption of Earth's earliest mineralogy by plate tectonics, we suggest that the conditions for prebiotic ribose synthesis may be better understood by further Mars exploration.
Medical subject headings
- Aluminum Silicates
- Boron
- Extraterrestrial Environment
- Mars