There could have been life on Mars

The Curiosity rover has answered a key question about Mars: In the past, the red planet had some of the ingredients needed to support primitive life.

The evidence comes from a chemical analysis by Curiosity, which last month flexed its robotic arm to drill into a fine-grained, veiny rock and test the powder.

Curiosity is the first spacecraft sent to Mars that could collect a sample from deep inside a rock, and scientist said yesterday that they hit the jackpot with that first rock.