NASA’s Perseverance rover has detected what scientists believe may be the underground remains of an ancient river delta on Mars, offering some of the strongest evidence yet that water once flowed across the planet’s surface billions of years ago.
The rover, operated by NASA, used ground-penetrating radar to collect data indicating what researchers describe as some of the oldest evidence of flowing water ever found on Mars.
Perseverance, which was sent to search for signs of ancient life, has been exploring the Jezero Crater for the past four years.
The six-wheeled rover, which landed on Mars in 2021, transmitted data revealing geological features buried as deep as 115 feet (35 metres) beneath the surface of Jezero Crater, located in the planet’s northern hemisphere. Scientists believe this region was once flooded and may have contained an ancient lake basin.
Using this data, researchers estimate that the buried delta dates from around 3.7 to 4.2 billion years ago, suggesting it formed relatively early in Mars’s history.
They also found that this newly identified delta predates a nearby surface formation known as the Western Delta, which is estimated to be between 3.5 and 3.7 billion years old.
River deltas on Earth naturally concentrate sediments and create niches favourable to microbial life, making them key targets in the search for past life.
According to UCLA planetary scientist Emily Cardarelli, “From the features mapped by RIMFAX, we believe that Jezero Crater hosted an ancient, water-rich environment capable of biosignature preservation, which existed before the formation of Jezero’s Western Delta.”
A biosignature is chemical or physical evidence that indicates past or present life.
Water is considered essential to the possibility of life, and growing evidence that Mars once had a wetter climate continues to be of major scientific interest.
In November 2025, scientists reported what they believe to be the first recorded electrical activity in the Martian atmosphere, suggesting the planet may be capable of producing lightning.
These electrical discharges, nicknamed “mini lightning”, were detected through audio and electromagnetic recordings captured by the rover.
In September 2025, Perseverance also identified a reddish rock formed billions of years ago from lakebed sediment. Scientists say the sample contains potential signs of ancient microbial life, although they caution that the minerals observed could also have formed through non-biological processes.
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini says cooperation with Azerbaijan is moving beyond formal diplomacy, with new opportunities emerging in energy, defen...
A woman whose husband was sucked out of the window of a plane during a Ryanair flight has recounted pulling her husband to safety. Serbian couple Svet...
Keir Starmer has reaffirmed that the UK's "unwavering" support for Ukraine will continue, during his final visit to the country as Prime Minister....
NASA announced on Tuesday it has cancelled plans to deploy a space station in lunar orbit and will instead use components from the project to build a $20 billion base on the moon's surface, while also planning to send a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars.
New modelling suggests Mars shapes some of Earth’s long-term orbital rhythms, including shorter eccentricity cycles and a 2.4-million-year pattern that vanishes without its gravitational pull.
A former executive of a Mars Inc. subsidiary has pleaded guilty to fraud and tax charges after stealing $28 million from the company, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
A piece of rock believed to be the largest piece of Mars on Earth has sold for $5.3 million at a geological and archaeological auction in New York on Wednesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. The operation targeted command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance sites across multiple locations.
The death toll from the fire at a live music pub in Bangkok has climbed to 32 after two more victims died from their injuries, according to Thailand's Police Hospital.
Ukraine and Russia exchanged fresh attacks on Tuesday, with Kyiv targeting shipping and energy infrastructure inside Russia while Moscow launched another large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukrainian cities.
Space exploration just got sweeter as scientists say they have discovered a type of sugar called erythrulose in outer space.
Pakistan is set to become a founding member of the China-led World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO), with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar travelling to Shanghai on Thursday to sign the founding agreement during a two-day visit.
Beijing is using Shanghai’s artificial intelligence (AI) forum to promote its governance agenda and showcase domestic alternatives to U.S. technology.
Australia will establish an Office of AI to coordinate artificial intelligence standards and oversee major data centres as the government prepares new laws on their energy and water use, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday (15 July).
IBM has warned that a surge in spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure is weighing on its core business, in one of the clearest signs yet of how the AI boom is reshaping the technology sector.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment