A rock that formed around 4.5 billion years ago on Mars before being blasted into space by a meteor strike and making its way to Earth contains telltale evidence that it was formed in the presence of

According to a new analysis of the Lafayette Meteorite, minerals within it formed in the presence of water 742 million years ago. It's a real breakthrough in the dating of aqueous minerals on Mars, and suggests that, sometimes, Mars might still be a little damp.

Researchers didn't realize that the gases trapped within the rock matched the Martian atmosphere until the 1980s. Now, new research has suggested that the mysterious meteorite holds evidence that liquid water existed on Mars around 742 million years ago.

The study identified when water interacted with the meteorite and established that the dating was unaffected by events after it left Mars.

An asteroid struck Mars 11 million years ago and sent pieces of the red planet hurtling through space. One of these chunks of Mars eventually crashed into the Earth somewhere near Purdue University and is one of the few meteorites that can be traced directly to Mars.

A sliver of Martian rock that once lay hidden in a university drawer has helped researchers better understand the Red Planet’s geological history. Using isotopic dating, a team at Purdue University has determined that the “Lafayette Meteorite” likely interacted with liquid water approximately 742 million years ago.

Scientists have traced the origins of the Lafayette Meteorite back to Mars, dating its water-altered minerals to 742 million years ago. The findings suggest that the meteorite's interaction with water came from melting subsurface permafrost rather than surface water,

Was alien life in "hot water" on Mars billions of years ago? New evidence from the Martian meteorite "Black Beauty" suggests so.

Researchers have uncovered what may be the oldest direct evidence of hot water activity on Mars, suggesting the red planet could have supported life billions of years ago. Scientists at Australia’s Curtin University made the discovery while studying a famous Martian meteorite — nicknamed “Black Beauty” — that was found in the Sahara Desert in 2011.