Potential biosignatures Detected on Mars Spark Further Investigation
NASA’s Perseverance rover has uncovered evidence suggesting Mars may have once harbored life, though scientists emphasize this is not a definitive finding. The findings, detailed in a paper published in Nature, center around the detection of two minerals – vivianite and greigite - within rocks analyzed in the Jezero Crater’s Neretva Vallis region, specifically the Bright Angel formation.
The rover investigated “distinctive mudstone and conglomerate outcrops” in this area, focusing on a rock named Sapphire Canyon in Cheyava Falls. Vivianite, commonly found on Earth in peat bogs associated with decaying organic matter, and greigite, created by microbial life, were identified within the sample.
“The combination of chemical compounds we found in the Bright Angel formation could have been a rich source of energy for microbial metabolisms,” explained Perseverance scientist Joel Hurowitz of Stony Brook University, New York, and lead author of the paper. He stressed the need to thoroughly analyze the data to determine its meaning.
While these minerals on Earth are frequently enough linked to biological activity, NASA cautions that they can also form through non-biological processes, such as high temperatures, acidic conditions, or the binding of organic compounds. Crucially, the rocks where these minerals were found do not show evidence of these abiotic conditions, making a biological origin more plausible, though not confirmed.
“Astrobiological claims, particularly those related to the potential discovery of past extraterrestrial life, require exceptional evidence,” stated Katie Stack Morgan, Perseverance’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.The publication of the findings in a peer-reviewed journal is a critical step in validating the results. However, she added, “we cannot rule out” non-biological explanations.Currently, further research is hampered by the 343 million kilometer distance to Mars. NASA believes the moast promising path forward is to retrieve Martian rock samples and return them to Earth for more detailed analysis. While plans are underway to achieve this by 2033, ongoing rover exploration and analysis of data remain vital.
