Having analyzed the data supplied by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, planetary scientists at the Arizona State University have managed to discover the "lowest latitude evidence of dusty water ice on Mars" that "formed into gullies", as the Daily Mail puts it.
According to the newspaper, study authors Aditya Khuller and Philip Christensen reportedly noted that that would be probably the best place to search for life on Mars, with Khuller pointing at the prospects of stable liquid water being present "within the ice" in the area in question.
"There might be small amounts of stable liquid water being produced within the ice at these gully sites, potentially even today," Khuller said.
While he argued that that "would be the best places for any surviving life on Mars", Khuller remarked that "whether there is any life or not is not possible to say based on the data we currently have".
While scientists have been aware of the presence of "water ice" on Mars for a while, he added, this is the first time this substance has been spotted "this close to the equator at places where it might be melting".
