Potential Evidence of Ancient Life Discovered on Mars
LOS ANGELES,Sept. 10 (Xinhua) – NASA’s Perseverance rover has uncovered compelling evidence suggesting the possible presence of ancient microbial life on Mars.A rock sample, dubbed “Sapphire Canyon,” collected from a formation named “cheyava Falls” within Jezero Crater, exhibits potential biosignatures, as detailed in a new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
A biosignature, according to NASA, isn’t definitive proof of life, but rather a substance or structure that could have a biological origin, requiring further investigation to confirm its source.
perseverance identified the Cheyava Falls site during exploration of the “Bright Angel” formation in July 2024. this formation consists of rocky outcrops bordering the Neretva Vallis, a 400-meter-wide ancient river valley that once fed into Jezero Crater. The geological context suggests a past surroundings conducive to life.
“This is the most promising indication we’ve had yet that life may have once existed on Mars,” stated acting NASA Administrator Sean duffy. “The identification of a potential biosignature represents a significant leap forward in our understanding of the Red Planet.”
Analysis of the sedimentary rocks composing the Bright Angel formation reveals a composition of clay and silt – materials known on Earth to effectively preserve traces of past microbial activity. Furthermore, the rocks are abundant in organic carbon, sulfur, oxidized iron, and phosphorous, a combination of elements that could have provided energy for ancient microbial metabolisms.”The presence of these chemical building blocks is exciting,” explained Joel Hurowitz, a Perseverance scientist at Stony Brook University and lead author of the study. “However, identifying these compounds wasn’t enough. We had to carefully analyze the data to determine if their arrangement and concentration could point towards a biological origin.”
“Sapphire Canyon” is one of 27 rock core samples Perseverance has collected since its landing in Jezero Crater in February 2021, and will be a key focus for future analysis aimed at definitively determining whether mars once harbored life.