Source of the image, NASA/JPL
- Author, Rebecca Morsis
- The name of the author, Editor of Science
- X,
Unusual breeds found on Mars contain the most convincing evidence for the date of the possible last life on the Red Planet.
Lutolites – either sedimentary rocks – were found in the dusty of the river by a persistent vehicle of the National Aviation and Space of the United States (NASA), strewn with intriguing brands, in which the form of which the team called “leopard spots” and “poppy seeds”.
Scientists believe that these entities contain minerals that result from chemical reactions that can be associated with old germs.
It is possible that minerals occur through natural geological processes, but at a press conference NASA stated that these entities could be the most clear signs of life found on the planet.
The results are quite important to meet NASA’s criteria for what it calls “possible biofirm”.
This means that they justify a greater investigation to determine their biological origin.
“We had before something like that and I find a great achievement Nature.
“We find characteristics in the rocks that, if you see them on Earth, can be explained by biology microbial processes. So we do not say we have found life, but it really gives us reason to investigate.”
‘It sees the remains of the fossil.
The only way to confirm that minerals was created by germs would be to bring the ground to the analysis.
NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) suggested Mars to bring the samples to the ground, but its future seems very uncertain.
The US Space Agency’s scientific budget faces huge cuts established in the Trump administration budget 2026, and the model mission is one of those who face potential cancellation.
Today, Mars is a cold and arid desert. But there is evidence that billions of years ago had a dense and water atmosphere, making it a promising place to find past life.
The perseverance that landed on the Martian surface in 2021 was sent to seek signs of biology.
He spent the last four years, studying the region called Crater Jezero, which once was a lake where the river flowed.
Last year, the vehicle found a rock with traces in the form of leopard spots at the bottom of the canyon, excavated by a river in an area called a bright angel.
They make up about 3.5 billion years and are a type of breed called Lutolita, a thin grain rock that is formed of clay.
“We immediately realized that these rocks had interesting chemistry, so we were very excited from the first moment,” said Joel Hurovitz of the University of Stoni Brooke in New York, a scientist who also participated in the mission of persistence and the main author of the study.
The car used several laboratory tools on board to analyze breed minerals. In the future, this data was transmitted to Earth so that scientists have studied them.
“We believe that what we have found is a testimony to a set of chemical reactions that occurred in the dirt deposited at the bottom of the lake. These chemical reactions occurred between the dirt itself and the organic matter, and both ingredients responded to form new minerals,” said Dr. Guravitz.
In such circumstances, chemical reactions that create minerals usually move with germs.
“This is one of the possible explanations for how these characteristics were formed in these rocks,” the scientist said. “It seems that this is the most convincing discovery of the potential biofirmers we were to.”
Scientists also analyzed how minerals could form without germs, and concluded that natural geological processes can also be for chemical reactions.
However, they will require high temperatures, and it seems that the breeds were not heated.
“We find some difficulties in no -biological paths, but we cannot completely abandon them,” said Dr. Hurovichi.
Source of the image, NASA/JPL
The persistence collected samples during Martian studies, including the cliffs found in the bright formation of angels. They were stored in containers and will be postponed on the Martian surface, waiting for a mission that could lead them to the ground.
NASA’s plans will hang the topic of the budget reduction on such a project, but China is also developing a mission for the same purpose that can be launched in 2028.
While the debate about the possibilities of the mission, scientists seek to have rocks in their hands.
“We must have them on the ground,” said Professor Gupto.
“I think that in order to have full confidence, most scientists would like to see and study these breeds. Among the samples to bring to the ground, they are the highest priority.”
Sign up here For our new newsletter to receive every Friday the choice of our best content of the week.
And remember that you can receive notifications in our application. Download the last version and ACT.
