NASA's Perseverance rover has made a groundbreaking discovery that could hint at ancient microbial life on Mars, offering a tantalising clue in humanity's quest to answer whether life ever existed beyond Earth. According to a peer-reviewed study, a rock sample named 'Sapphire Canyon,' collected from Jezero Crater in July 2024, contains potential biosignatures - chemical signatures that might indicate a biological origin.
The sample, extracted from a rock dubbed 'Cheyava Falls' in the 'Bright Angel' formation, was found in an ancient river valley called Neretva Vallis. Perseverance's instruments, including PIXL and SHERLOC, revealed organic carbon, sulfur, phosphorus, and iron-rich minerals like vivianite and greigite arranged in distinctive 'leopard spots.' On Earth, such minerals are often linked to microbial activity, where organisms use these compounds for energy. While non-biological processes could produce similar patterns, the absence of high temperatures or acidic conditions in the rock makes a biological explanation more plausible, though not definitive.
"This discovery pushes the boundaries of what we thought was possible on Mars," said Joel Hurowitz, lead author and scientist at Stony Brook University. "Finding these signatures in relatively young sedimentary rocks suggests Mars could have been habitable later than we expected." The finding challenges earlier assumptions that signs of life would only be found in older rock formations, broadening the scope of Mars' potential habitability.
NASA emphasises that confirming a biosignature requires rigorous further study. "Astrobiological claims demand extraordinary evidence," said Katie Stack Morgan, Perseverance's project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The sample is one of 27 cores collected by Perseverance, which continues to explore Jezero Crater as part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program. This discovery marks a significant step in the search for extraterrestrial life, with the scientific community now tasked with analysing the data to confirm or refute its biological potential.
