The Perseverance rover from NASA has found a rock over half a meter in size with signs of having hosted microbial life billions of years ago. The discovery still requires thorough investigation to finally confirm whether the Red Planet hosted life.
Dubbed 'Cheyava Falls', this rock shaped like an arrowhead contains "fascinating features" that could help determine if Mars hosted microscopic life in the distant past.
The rock, collected on July 21 while the rover was exploring the northern boundary of Neretva Vallis river, exhibits chemical signals and structures that fit the definition of a possible ancient life indicator. NASA scientists are considering other variables that could explain such characteristics before confirming the existence of ancient life on the third planet from the Sun.
NASA's rover exploring the northern boundary of Neretva Vallis river on Mars.NASA
"We designed Perseverance's route to ensure it goes to areas with the potential to find interesting scientific samples," stated Nicola Fox, Associate Administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This journey along the Neretva Vallis riverbed paid off as we found something we had never seen before, which will give our scientists a lot to study."
Images captured by the Mars rover indicate that this rock contains organic compounds, but these molecules seen in the photos, based on their carbon content, while considered essential components of life, can also be generated through non-biological processes.
"'Cheyava Falls' is the most puzzling, complex, and potentially significant rock that Perseverance has investigated so far," stated Ken Farley, project scientist for Perseverance at Caltech's Pasadena branch. "On one hand, we have our first compelling detection of organic material: distinctive color patterns indicative of chemical reactions that microbial life could use as an energy source; and clear evidence that water, essential for life, once flowed through the rock. On the other hand, we have not been able to determine precisely how the rock formed and to what extent nearby rocks may have heated 'Cheyava Falls' and contributed to the formation of these features."