Life on Mars? NASA detects possible microbial signals
NASA detects potential markers of Martian microbes (photo: Unsplash)
NASA’s Perseverance rover has detected complex carbon molecules in rock samples on Mars. Scientists say this could be a strong argument in favor of past life on the Red Planet, according to The Guardian.
According to Professor John Bridges of the University of Leicester, Jezero Crater was likely a suitable environment for primitive life, and the discovered molecules may be remnants of the same carbon building blocks that would have existed if an ancient biosphere had once functioned there.
Origin of the discovery
The measurements were carried out using the SHERLOC instrument in the Bright Angel rock outcrop area along the former Neretva Vallis river channel. Laser-based light analysis detected so-called macromolecular carbon (MMC).
Scientists from the Planetary Science Institute in Arizona identify several possible origins of this material:
Biological factor: Carbon could have formed from fossilized organic matter, such as microbial mats or coal-like material similar to that on Earth.
Geological processes: molecules may have formed through chemical reactions between water and volcanic rocks.
Cosmic factor: the material may have been delivered to Mars by meteorites that regularly bombarded the planet in the past.
Of particular interest is the analysis of the Cheyava Falls mudstone. The presence of macromolecular carbon directly on its surface suggests either that the layer was recently exposed or that this specific rock structure was resistant to the harsh effects of Martian radiation and chemical oxidation.
A planetary-scale habitable environment
The importance of the discovery lies in the fact that NASA rovers have now detected similar organic mudstones (sedimentary rocks) at two locations more than 3,200 kilometers apart.
Previously, similar compounds were found by the Curiosity rover while studying Gale Crater. This suggests that billions of years ago, conditions suitable for life and the availability of organic compounds may have been widespread across the planet.
Despite the sensational nature of the data, the equipment onboard Perseverance cannot distinguish between abiotic (non-living) and biotic origins of carbon.
As explained by Dr. Kyle Uckert from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the rover’s task was only to identify the most promising samples for collection.
The resolution of the Martian mystery now depends entirely on future missions to bring samples back to Earth.
After the previous NASA sample-return project was effectively canceled in January, the United States is now developing a revised plan for sample return in the 2030s, while China plans to deliver its first Martian samples to Earth as early as 2031.
