A huge lake of salty water appears to be buried deep in Mars, scientists reported this week. The presence of water raises the chances of finding life on the red planet. The discovery is based on observations by a European spacecraft. It has excited experts. Water is necessary for life, and scientists have long hoped to prove that it is present on Mars. Cassie Stuurman is a geophysicist at the University of Texas. In 2016, she found evidence of a huge ice deposit on Mars. “If these researchers are right, this is the first time we’ve found evidence of a large water body on Mars,” Stuurman said. Scott Hubbard, a professor of astronautics at Stanford University, is also excited about the discovery. He served as NASA’s first Mars program director in 2000. He said NASA has long believed in “following the water.” He is pleased that the new discovery supports that idea.