Can 250 Million-Year-Old Salty Rocks Lead To Discovering Life On Mars?
Westminster Professor And Multi-institutional Research Team May Have New Answers On Where To Look SALT LAKE CITY – Is it possible that the discovery of 250 million-year-old rocks could lead to finding life on other planets? Through a multidisciplinary study conducted by Dr. Bonnie K. Baxter, an associate professor of biology at Westminster College, that answer could be yes. Deep in the salt mines of New Mexico, Dr. Baxter and a team of multidisciplinary and multi-institutional researchers discovered biological material preserved in salt crystals from over 250 million years ago – making it the oldest biological material ever discovered on Earth. The material, known as cellulose, was extracted from salt crystals in the mines. Cellulose is one of the most common organic compounds on Earth and is a familiar substance to most of us as it is a major component of paper products. Cellulose could indeed be one of the best signatures for signs of past life forms due to its resiliency. “Last week
