Pictures of the planet Mars show a rocky, lifeless scene. It is hard to imagine plants or animals could ever exist there. But scientists continue to look for evidence. NASA, America’s space agency, has found evidence that, a long time ago, there was surface water on the Red Planet. Scientists believe water is necessary to support life as we know it. So since that discovery, they have been looking for chemicals that would be present if there once was -- or still is--- life on the planet. At a December 13 conference in California, NASA scientists reported a breakthrough. They said for the first time that they had found very small amounts of an interesting element. It is called boron.