7 Times We Really Thought We'd Found Aliens

3. The Waters Of Mars

Mars has always been a prime candidate for alien life in the minds of many, but since it became increasingly obvious that it is actually something of a dusty red wasteland, we all lost interest for a bit.

However, the discovery of running water on the red planet last year rekindled some of the hope we had for Martians.

The seasonal dark streaks on the surface of Mars, now known as Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL), are caused by what is essentially seasonal melt water. It is thought that during the summer months any water ice locked up in could be melting and vaporising and a type of hydrated salt in the soil known as perchlorates absorb the atmospheric water and lock it into their crystalline structure, allowing the water to exist in its liquid state at much lower temperatures.

Seeing as everywhere we find water on Earth, we find life, the presence of liquid water is promising. Granted, there probably won't be any little green men up there, but a few martian microbes would be a hell of a start.