Does water exist on Mars? 

That question has been floated around scientific forums for years, and continues to spark new study and debate. Now, scientists believe they may have found evidence to support the theory that water does exist on Mars. 

A Martian meteorite with a history of water movement is sparking the debate again, lending evidence to the theory that life may have once existed on the planet, according to Mashable. 

Scientists' analysis of the meteorite shows microscopic tunnels in the interior of the meteorite, and blobs of carbon-rich minerals embedded in layers of rock. Those findings suggest ancient weathering through biological processes, meaning microbes could have lived on Mars at one point in time. 

While the evidence suggests that there may have been life on Mars, the authors of the study note that "they cannot exclude the possibility that the carbon-rich regions in both sets of features may be the product of [other biological reasons]."

"This is no smoking gun," said Lauren White, lead author of the study, according to NASA. "We can never eliminate the possibility of contamination in any meteorite. But these features are nonetheless interesting and show that further studies of these meteorites should continue."

The meteorite was formed around 1.3 billion years ago on Mars before a water event ejected the rock around 12 million years ago. 

It landed on Earth in Antarctica around 50,000 years ago. 

The difference in the Martian meteorite compared to other meteorites is the composition of oxygen atoms, trapped Martian atmosphere gasses and silicate minerals. 

The discovery was made by the team of scientists at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. after the meteorite, called Yamato 000593, was discovered by the Japanese Research Expedition in Antarctica. 

The recent findings, as well as previous findings from the Yamato meteorite, were published in the February issue of Astrobiology.