Evidence is mounting about what may be a wealth of organic molecules - a potential indicator of life - on Mars, with new findings from NASA's Perseverance rover suggesting the presence of a diversity of them in rocks at a locale where a lake existed long ago.
The latest evidence comes from an instrument called SHERLOC mounted on the six-wheeled rover's robotic arm that enables a detailed mapping and analysis of organic molecules. Researchers are reporting SHERLOC's findings from 10 places on two geological formations on the floor of Jezero crater.
Mars has not always been the inhospitable place it is today, with liquid water on its surface in the distant past. Scientists suspect that microbial life once could have lived in Jezero crater. They believe river channels spilled over the crater wall and created a lake more than 3.5 billion years ago.
The researchers do not know the specific organic compounds that SHERLOC detected, but have some clues. Study co-author Ryan Roppel, a University of Pittsburgh graduate student in chemistry, said the chemical signatures could come from compounds like benzene or naphthalene.
Argentina Últimas Noticias, Argentina Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
NASA's Perseverance rover finds preserved organic matter on MarsThe discovery is a boost to the rover's mission: finding signs of ancient life on Mars.
Leer más »
NASA's Perseverance rover discovers organic matter on MarsThe discovery has implications in the search for potential signs of life on the Red Planet, researchers said.
Leer más »
Researchers find evidence of organic matter on Mars | EngadgetThe Perseverance Rover has found evidence of organic compounds in the Jezero Crater on Mars.
Leer más »
Perseverance rover unearths a variety of organic molecules in Mars' Jezero CraterAstrobiologists find this fascinating clue to be of great significance, as such molecules on Earth are frequently associated with biological processes.
Leer más »
NASA discovers possible ‘key building blocks for life’ on MarsNASA’s Perseverance rover found “organic molecules” on the red planet.
Leer más »
NASA Rover Finds Organic Molecules on MarsNASA's Perseverance rover has discovered 'diverse' traces of 'preserved organic matter' in a Martian crater.
Leer más »