A new theory out of Brown University challenges common ideas about clay on Mars, which is ubiquitous on the Red Planet. Rather than forming through muddy interactions with lakes and rivers, like clay ...

New research published in Nature Astronomy seeks to understand how surface clay was formed on Mars despite its cold climate. Part of this early Martian climate puzzle comes down to how "warm" is warm.

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. Clay minerals cannot form unless there is water available—it is an essential ...

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Some of the Martian buttes and mesas on the Red Planet's northern plains. Inside these eroded ...

David Rothery is author of Planet Mercury - from Pale Pink Dot to Dynamic World (Springer, 2015), Moons: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2015) and Planets: A Very Short ...