Life on Mars: The Strongest Evidence Yet

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover explores Mars. Credit: NASA / Public Domain

A caller nonfiction published successful the diary Nature has provided the astir compelling grounds to day for the beingness of ancient beingness connected Mars. The findings, based connected information from NASA’s Perseverance rover, indispensable beryllium confirmed by aboriginal investigation of stone samples connected Earth.

The study, led by a squad of scientists including Professor Joel Horowitz from Stony Brook University, identified microscopic traces of integrated compounds wrong a rock, starring to the decision that beingness whitethorn person erstwhile existed connected the Red Planet.

According to astrobiologist Sean McMahon of the University of Edinburgh, this is the strongest grounds yet for extraterrestrial life, and it could correspond 1 of the astir important technological discoveries successful history.

The find connected Mars

In mid-2024, the Perseverance rover analyzed an past clay rock named Cheyava Falls, which was formed by h2o astir 4 cardinal years ago. Unlike astir Martian rocks, which person a bladed aboveground furniture of oxidized iron, Cheyava Falls is reddish throughout.

Most intriguingly, the stone is covered successful tiny, light-colored spots, each little than a millimeter successful diameter. These spots are surrounded by a dark, phosphorus-rich mineral and incorporate traces of past integrated compounds, the gathering blocks of beingness connected Earth.

Scientists judge that these spots are the effect of redox (oxidation-reduction) reactions that transferred electrons from integrated matter. On Earth, akin “reduction spots” are often recovered successful rocks and sediments wherever microbes person consumed integrated matter, which supports the thought of biologic enactment astatine Cheyava Falls. The survey successful Nature confirmed that the spots are associated with integrated substance and incorporate an robust sulfide mineral, further strengthening the proposal that these are microbial signatures.

Rock samples collected by Perseverance to beryllium examined connected Earth

While the findings are compelling, a final, non-biological mentation cannot yet beryllium ruled out. As Professor McMahon notes, the deficiency of a non-biological mentation successful astrobiology is wherever the hunt for beingness genuinely begins. He points retired that humanities technological breakthroughs often occurred aft a non-biological mentation for a improvement could not beryllium found.

For definitive confirmation, the stone samples collected by Perseverance indispensable beryllium brought backmost to Earth. This is portion of the planned Mars Sample Return mission, a associated effort betwixt NASA and the European Space Agency. However, the ngo faces important challenges, including precocious costs.

As McMahon concludes, portion the ngo volition beryllium expensive—potentially tens of billions of dollars—the reward could beryllium the astir important technological find ever made.

Related: NASA Finds Multi-Billion-Year-Old ‘Coral’ Structures connected Mars