Water may have killed Mars’ magnetic field

Extra hydrogen near the Red Planet’s core could have shut down convection

Mars

DEAD INSIDE  Mars doesn’t have a magnetic field today because something shut off its churning core. A new study suggests waterlocked minerals in the mantle could have provided enough hydrogen to interfere with the convection of the core.

Viking 1/NASA

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Mars’ missing magnetic field may have drowned in the planet’s core.