Signs of Life Found on Mars? NASA Perseverance Rover Finds Rock Which Indicates Red Planet May Have Hosted Life Billions of Years Ago (Watch Video)
NASA's Perseverance Rover has discovered a rock on Mars that may suggest the planet hosted life billions of years ago. This finding offers new clues about Mars' ancient conditions.
Mumbai, July 26: NASA discovered a rock on Mars on Thursday, July 25, that showed the presence of microbial life billions of years ago. The rock has few indications that it may have hosted an ancient life. Nicknamed "Cheyava Falls" by the team, the "vein-shaped" rock exhibits intriguing features that may provide insights into whether Mars once harboured microscopic life. However, definitive proof will require further research.
According to NASA's statement, the rover's instruments analysed the rock and identified characteristics that aligned with potential signs of ancient life. The rock displays chemical signatures and structures that life might have created billions of years ago when the rover's exploration area had flowing water. NASA Finds Evidence of Life on Mars, Know Everything About The Big Discovery by Curiosity Rover.
The rock sample was collected on July 21 while the rover explored the northern edge of Neretva Vallis, an old river valley about a quarter-mile wide formed by water flowing into Jezero Crater long ago. "We have designed the route for Perseverance to ensure that it goes to areas with the potential for interesting scientific samples," said Nicola Fox, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA’s Perseverance Rover Spots Dust-Filled Martian Whirlwind on Mars.
Signs of Ancient Life on Mars
The team said that this trip through the Neretva Vallis riverbed paid off as they discovered something never seen before, providing scientists with a wealth of new material to study. Cheyava Falls is the most puzzling, complex, and potentially significant rock yet investigated by Perseverance.
Ken Farley, Perseverance Project Scientist at Caltech in Pasadena, added, "On the one hand, we have our first compelling detection of organic material, distinctive colourful spots indicative of chemical reactions that microbial life could use as an energy source, and clear evidence that water—necessary for life—once passed through the rock."
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 26, 2024 12:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).