From the ArcaMax Publishing, Science & Technology Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/technology/s-370005-893161
MEDFORD, Mass. (UPI) -- U.S. scientists said soil on Mars appears to
be alkaline enough to support plant life.
Samuel P. Kounaves of Tufts University said soil found by the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration's Phoenix Mars lander has enough
nutrients to grow a plant such as asparagus, The New York Times
reported Friday.
"We basically have found what appears to be the requirements, the
nutrients, to support life whether past, present or future," Kounaves
told reporters. "The sort of soil you have there is the type of soil
you'd probably have in your backyard."
While high levels of ultraviolet radiation and cold, dry conditions on
Mars make life unlikely, the planet may have been more habitable in
the past, the newspaper said.
Kounaves said the soil was similar to soil found in parts of
Antarctica.