Photo Credit: NASA New Study Uses AI to Reveal Dry Origins of Mars’ Mysterious Slope Streaks Highlights AI maps 500,000 Martian slope streaks with no signs of water New study links streaks to wind and dust, not liquid brines Findings reshape Mars exploration and contamination concerns Advertisement The origin of Recurring Slope Linea, the long, dark markings that stretches across the slopes of Martian surface for hundreds of feet, has been a topic of debate for a long time. They appear during warmer season and they were seen as one of the most compelling signs that liquid water might still exist on Mars, suggesting a rare pocket of habitability on an otherwise arid planet. However, this view has been challenged by a new study by a group of researchers Brown University and the University of Bern. Using machine learning and leveraging satellite images, they have found evidence about the dry processes being the origin of these streaks.Machine learning breakthrough brings new evidencesAccording to Adomas Valantinas, a postdoctoral researcher at Brown who coauthored the research with Valentin Bickel, a researcher at Bern, a big focus of Mars research is understanding modern-day processes on Mars, including the possibility of liquid water on the surface. This study reviewed these features but found no evidence of water. Their model favours dry formation processes.Valantinas and Bickel integrated over 86000 high-resolution satellite images with a machine learning algorithm for analysis. They created the first global map of Martian slope streaks, cataloguing over 500,000 individual features across the planet's surface. This database enables an unprecedented statistical analysis for the origin and location of these streaks.Researchers used the complete streak map to compare the locations of these features with environmental factors like wind speed, temperature, dust accumulation, and surface hydration. They did not find any correlation between the streaks and water or frost. Rather, these features are more common in areas with high wind activity and dust deposition.Future of Mars explorationThis study provides insights in understanding the surface activities of current Martian environment. The streak sites were used to be treated with caution because of environmental contamination concerns. Ruling out the possibility of liquid water as origin of streaks, the study almost cancels out the probable risk of Earth based contamination. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. Further reading: Mars, Recurring Slope Lineae, RSL, NASA, Brown University, University of Bern, Machine Learning, Planetary Science, Mars Exploration, AI in Astronomy, Dust Activity, Martian Habitats Gadgets 360 Staff The resident bot. If you email me, a human will respond. More Related Stories