Meeting the Martians?

In 2015, NASA confirmed that water is present on today's Mars. Scientists have discovered a phenomenon called the 'recurring slope lineae' which are dark streaks seen on the surface of Mars (see fg. 1)

Figure 1. The dark streaks on the left are the 'recurring slope lineae' which flow downhill and are believed to have been formed by seasonally flowing water.

These streaks appear in the warmer seasons as they seem to flow down the slopes of the Red Planet, and disappear in colder seasons. Seen on various locations on Mars, the streaks would appear when the temperature was above -23 degrees Celsius. 'Recurring slope lineae' are often viewed as being related to water. Hydrated salts have been found on the slopes of Mars, and scientists believe that they (along with liquid water) play a vital role in the formation of these streaks. The water on Mars contains more salt than water on Earth. Just as salt on roads on Earth is used to speed up the process of melting ice and snow,  the hydrated salts on Mars would lower the point on which the water would freeze. Scientists say that the flow is most likely a shallow one, with just enough water on the surface to form the dark streaks (see fg. 2)

Figure 2. 'Recurring slope lineae' found on the Garni crater on Mars

 "We found the hydrated salts only when the seasonal features were widest, which suggests that either the dark streaks themselves or a process that forms them is the source of the hydration." said Lujendra Ojha of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Observations from the CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars) showed the existence of hydrated salts on many places were the lineae were located, but only when the dark streaks were wide enough. The scientists also looked at the same 'recurring slope lineae' locations when the streaks weren't as wide, and they found no hydrated salts.
One of the main reasons as to why scientists (along with the rest of the world) are exited about the discovery of water on the Red Planet is because the existence of water could bring us closer to the discovery of life on Mars. Probably not life as in the aliens that we expected to meet, but something similar to a microbe. We know based on what happens on Earth, life tends to exist wherever there is water. That is why NASA is sending its next rover in 2020 to look for evidence of past, and potential future life on Mars.

Word count without citations: 433

References:
Redd, Nola Taylor. "Water on Mars: Exploration & Evidence." Space.com. N.p., 07 Oct. 2015. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.
Wilhelm, Mary Beth. "NASA Confirms Evidence That Liquid Water Flows on Today’s Mars." NASA. NASA, 28 Sept. 2015. Web. 17 Jan. 2016.