Mystery of Martian Kidney Bean Dunes: Are They the Key to Extraterrestrial Life?

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has captured a remarkable image of the Martian surface displaying frozen sand dunes in the northern hemisphere, shaped like a kidney bean. The image, taken by the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera in September 2022 and released to the public last month, may assist in determining if Mars once had conditions suitable for life.

In contrast to the dunes on Earth, which are perpetually shifting, the kidney bean-shaped dunes on Mars seem unexpectedly stationary. According to NASA, these dunes are blanketed in a layer of carbon dioxide frost during the Martian winter. The planet’s poles can reach nighttime temperatures as low as -123 degrees Celsius during the frigid months, creating favorable conditions for both snowfall and frost formation. However, unlike Earth’s snow, the Martian snow exists in two varieties: water ice and frozen carbon dioxide, also known as dry ice.

The frost, comprising both water ice and carbon dioxide ice, inhibits the wind from displacing sand and keeps the dunes from moving until the arrival of spring thaw. Investigating how the carbon dioxide frost alters under current conditions could enhance the understanding of Mars’ historical climate.

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Life on Mars?

Researchers have been persistently exploring the possibilities of life on Mars. In October of the previous year, a NASA investigation indicated that microbes could potentially thrive beneath the frozen water on the Martian surface. The scientists found that the sunlight penetrating the ice could provide enough energy for photosynthesis to take place in the shallow pools of meltwater located underneath that ice.

A month later, a study conducted by scholars at Harvard’s Paleomagnetics Lab suggested that Mars’ magnetic field, which could have been conducive to life, might have existed for a far longer period than previously estimated.

Even though Mars is presently cold, desolate, and rocky, some evidence points to the magnetic field potentially lasting until 3.9 billion years ago, as opposed to earlier assumptions of 4.1 billion years—thus making the Red Planet an enticing candidate for a flourishing environment suitable for life.

The additional 200 million years coincides with the period when the Martian surface became enveloped in water, and various rovers dispatched by NASA have gathered evidence supporting this.