While these could be biosignatures, they might also result from chemical reactions. Further analysis, including studying collected samples, is crucial to confirm if these formations are evidence of past life on Mars.
Bengaluru: Scientists may have discovered evidence of ancient microbial life on Mars, according to reports by The Guardian. NASA’s Perseverance rover spotted unusual rocks in Neretva Vallis, an ancient river valley leading into Jezero Crater, while exploring the Bright Angel formation. “These could be the clearest signs of life we’ve ever found on Mars,” said Sean Duffy, acting administrator of NASA. Instruments on Perseverance detected carbon-based compounds, and images revealed surface patterns and nodules similar to those produced by microbes on Earth. While these features might also have formed through chemical reactions over billions of years, researchers consider them potential biosignatures, meaning they could be traces of ancient life.
Potential Signs of Life
Dr Nicky Fox, NASA’s associate administrator of science, clarified, “It’s not life itself, but signs that life could have existed billions of years ago.” Mars is dry today, but ancient river and lake beds suggest a warmer, wetter environment where life might have existed. The minerals found in the Bright Angel rocks, including vivianite and greigite, may have formed when organic matter in mud reacted with chemicals—a process often linked to microbial activity on Earth.
Dr Joel Hurowitz of Stony Brook University explained that while these reactions could indicate ancient life, chemical processes could also produce the same minerals. Further study is needed to confirm the findings. NASA hopes future analysis, including laboratory tests on Earth, will help determine whether the features were caused by life. Some rocks have been collected for a Mars sample return mission, though the plan is currently uncertain due to budget and logistical issues. Dr Fox stressed the importance of continued investment in NASA’s science missions, saying, “Each new discovery helps guide future research and brings us closer to answering one of humanity’s biggest questions: Are we alone in the universe?” Experts like Dr Janice Bishop of the SETI Institute note there is no evidence of living microbes on Mars today, but if life existed billions of years ago, it might have left chemical traces in the planet’s ancient lake beds.