<ul data-eligibleForWebStory="false"><li>Thick layers of clay found on Mars suggest past potentially life-hosting environments, formed around 3.7 billion years ago under warmer and wetter conditions.</li><li>Stable terrain on Mars where clays are found could sustain favorable conditions for longer periods.</li><li>The clay formation on Mars is influenced by local and global topography, past climate activity, and lack of tectonic activity compared to Earth.</li><li>The researchers speculate that the clay on Mars could have contributed to the lack of predicted carbonates and may have played a role in the planet's past warmer and wetter conditions.</li></ul>

Could signs of Mars life be hidden in its thick layers of clay?

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