The eutectic temperature of these brines allows its permanence in liquid state under the registered Martian environmental conditions in the study area of Curiosity, close to the equator, where they are the least favourable for this to happen.
The presence of liquid water on present day Mars entails transcendent consequences in a number of aspects of the planet's exploration.
Firstly, it casts a new light on the comprehension of Martian environment, and can be the key to understand some morphological features of the surface, such as the so-called Recurrent Slope Lineae (RSLs).
In addition, the discovery has posed the necessity for taking special precautions to avoid biological contamination of the planet with terrestrial organisms carried on board the spacecraft to be sent in the next missions, since the availability of liquid water multiply the possibilities for them to survive and thrive in certain places.
During the 2020 COVID pandemic, Martin-Torres led the Department of Planetary Sciences Team to build a ventilator to help treat the most severe cases of coronavirus.
Martin-Torres led the team that has sequenced DNA of microorganisms using the smallest amount of material ever using the minION device developed by Oxford Nanopore Technologies.