Mars may once have had Earth-like seasons conducive to life – study

Scientists believe wet and dry seasons would have provided ideal conditions for the formation of complex ancient organic compounds that would have served as precursors to life.

Mars is cold and inhospitable but evidence suggests it may have once had liquid water and a thick atmosphere (Nasa/ESA/PA)

Mars may have once had wet and dry seasons – like those on Earth – conducive to the emergence of life, scientists have said.

Researchers have discovered fossil evidence suggesting the red planet had a cyclical climate more than three billion years ago.