Mars rover Perseverance found signs of ancient life on latest sample collected.

Share

NASA`s Perseverance Mars rover has detected its highest concentrations yet of organic molecules, in a potential signal of ancient microbes that scientists are eager to confirm when the rock samples are eventually brought to Earth. While organic matter has been found on the Red Planet before, the new discovery is seen as especially promising because it came from an area where sediment and salts were deposited into a lake — conditions where life could have arisen”It is very fair to say that these are going to be, these already are, the most valuable rock samples that have ever been collected,” David Shuster, a Perseverance return sample scientist, told reporters during a briefing. Organic molecules — compounds made primarily of carbon that usually include hydrogen and oxygen, but also at times other elements — are not always created by biological processes. Further analysis and conclusions will have to wait for the Mars Sample Return mission — a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) to bring back the rocks that is set for 2033.Nicknamed Percy, the rover landed on Mars’ Jezero Crater in February 2021, tasked with caching samples that may contain signs of ancient life, as well as characterizing the planet’s geology and past climate. The delta it is exploring formed 3.5 billion years ago. There, the rover is now examining sedimentary rocks that were formed by depositing particles of various sizes in the water environment of the time.Percy said he took two samples from a rock he called ‘Wildcat Ridge’ about a meter wide and on July 20, polished part of its surface, using ultraviolet light he called SHERLOC. I made it possible to analyze with the device.The results reveal a class of organic molecules called aromatics that play an important role in biochemistry. “This is a treasure hunt to find potential signs of life on another planet,” said NASA astrobiologist Sunanda Sharma.“Organic matter is a clue, and we are getting stronger and stronger clues. is very inspiring. ”There were other intriguing hints of possible life on Mars, such as repeated detections of methane by her Perseverance predecessor, Curiosity. Methane is a by-product of microbial digestion on Earth, but it can also be produced by geothermal reactions where biology is not involved.