A new study using data from NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has found potential evidence of organic molecules on Mars.
Key points
- Organic compounds are molecules composed of carbon, and often include other elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur.
- Organic matter can be formed from various processes, not just those related to life. Geological processes and chemical reactions can also form organic molecules, and these processes are favored for the origin of these possible Martian organics.
- Previously, scientists had detected several types of organic molecules of Martian origin — in meteorites blasted off Mars by cosmic impacts that landed on Earth, and in Gale Crater on the Red Planet, which NASA’s Curiosity rover has been exploring since 2012.
- The scientists examined data from the Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) instrument onboard Perseverance.
- SHERLOC is the first tool on Mars capable of conducting fine-scale mapping and analysis of organic molecules.
