Advertisement
Supported by
The rock, studied by NASA’s Perseverance rover, has been extensively analyzed by scientists on Earth who say non-microbial processes can also affect its characteristics.
By Kenneth Chang
Kenneth Chang reported on the Perseverance project before its launch, as well as other indications of imaginable life on Mars.
Scientists working with NASA’s Perseverance rover are emphatic that they do not claim to have discovered life on Mars.
But many would say that a rock the rover just finished reading is “most likely involving fossilized Martian microbes. ” The rover drilled into and buried a chunk of rock, which scientists hope to bring back to Earth in the coming years for additional research and more definitive answers.
“What we’re saying is that we have a possible biosignature on Mars,” said Kathryn Stack Morgan, deputy mission scientist. She describes a biosignature as a structure, composition or texture in a rock that may simply have a biological origin.
The rock, which scientists have named Cheyava Falls, has features reminiscent of those that microbes might have left behind when this domain was warm and humid billions of years ago, a component of an ancient river delta. The scientists said they hadn’t detected anything that could simply be genuine fossilized organisms.
Scientists have wondered if life may have arisen in the early days of Mars, when it had a dense environment and running water. Martian rocks may contain only clues.
The Cheyava Falls discovery “is, at least to me, the most desirable rock we’ve collected so far,” said Kenneth Farley, assigned scientist and professor of geochemistry at the California Institute of Technology. Studying Earth, he added, “could answer the question” of whether life ever existed on Mars.
We are recovering the content of the article.
Please allow javascript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience while we determine access. If you’re in gamer mode, exit and log into your Times account or subscribe to the full Times.
Thank you for your patience as we determine access.
Already subscribed? Log in.
Do you want all the Times? Subscribe.
Advertisement