The first test of Martian soil by the rover vehicle Curiosity has shown no definitive evidence that the red planet has the chemical ingredients to support life.

Scientists disagree over whether Nasa’s Phoenix Mars lander found evidence of liquid water before it froze to death.

Nasa’s Phoenix Mars Lander spent its first full day in the Martian arctic plains checking its instruments in preparation for an ambitious digging mission to study whether the site could have once been habitable.