Perseverance Probes Possible Past Life
NASA has announced that its Perseverance rover has recently collected Martian rocks that may carry potential signs of ancient life. Formed nearly 3.5 billion years ago, the rocks contain minerals typically created through chemical reactions involving clay and organic matter, according to a report by Engadget.
A study led by Joel Hurowitz, a planetary scientist at Stony Brook University, noted that on Earth such reactions often occur through microbial activity. “These microbes consume organic material and produce minerals like vivianite and greigite as byproducts,” the study said. However, scientists cautioned that this is only a possible biosignature, not yet definitive proof of life.
Researchers believe the site where the samples were collected was once a confluence of rivers and lakes, suggesting the presence of significant amounts of water in the past.
Since 2021, Perseverance has been traversing Mars, gathering rock and dust samples. Experts say that while the discovery marks an important step in the search for Martian life, conclusive evidence will require much longer-term research.
