When NASA's Phoenix lander touched down on Martian troposphere to find "earth-like" soil, scientists immediately raised the possibility that local vegetation could thrive in the environment. The latest findings, however, showed that the soil had the molecule perchlorate which could inhibit such forms of life in the planet.

Kenneth Nealson of the University of Southern California commented that perchlorate is never a welcome sight in the search for life. "It is not a molecule of choice for most life," he said.

Scientists connected with NASA's Phoenix mission, however, are more optimistic. They say that the existence of perchlorate in the red planet is neither good or bad.

They explained that perchlorate exists in Earth's soil too. Particularly, they nailed the Atacama Desert  in Chile as the example. According to them, some extreme microbes in the area have the ability to use perchlorate as a source of energy.

Perchlorate is commonly used in solid rocket fuel, fireworks and pyrotechnics. It is an oxidizing agent which can cause thyroid dysfunction when taken in along with water by humans.

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