Images relayed by a European space probe reveal the existence of a sea of ice close to the equator of Mars, scientists said Tuesday at a conference in the Netherlands.
The evidence comes from photographs -- not yet published -- taken last year by the European Space Agency"s Mars Express probe currently orbiting the red planet. The scientists said the existence of water or ice would significantly increase the chance that microscopic life may also be found on Mars. Scientists have long theorized there was once water on Mars, and data from NASA"s Mars Rovers has recently appeared to confirm it. But most scientists believed the water had evaporated into the atmosphere early in the planet"s history.