Did NASA Mars Rover Find a Signature of Past Life?
http://www.space.com/34795-mars-life-nasa-spirit-rover.html
During its wheeled treks on the Red Planet, NASA's Spirit rover may have encountered a potential
signature of past life on Mars, report scientists at Arizona State University (ASU).
To help make their case, the researchers have contrasted Spirit's study of "Home Plate" — a plateau
of layered rocks that the robot explored during the early part of its third year on Mars — with
features found within active hot spring/geyser discharge channels at a site in northern Chile called
El Tatio. The work has resulted in a provocative paper: "Silica deposits on Mars with features
resembling hot spring biosignatures at El Tatio in Chile."