Key Facts Mars Rover Uncovers Possible Biosignatures in Ancient Mudstone NASA’s Perseverance rover has delivered perhaps the most tantalizing hint of Martian life yet. Scientists announced that a sedimentary rock sample nicknamed “Sapphire Canyon,” drilled from Jezero Crater, contains organic carbon and unusual mineral patterns that could be of biological origin reuters.com reuters.com. Specifically, the rover detected two minerals – vivianite (iron phosphate) and greigite (iron sulfide) – that on Earth often form when microbes interact with sediments reuters.com. These minerals, along with the rock’s fine-grained, rusty-red appearance and “leopard spot” textures, constitute what researchers call a “potential biosignature” reuters.com

Martian Rover Hints at Ancient Life NASA’s Perseverance rover has delivered what might be the most tantalizing evidence of past life on Mars to date. Researchers revealed that a rock sample nicknamed “Sapphire Canyon,” collected in Jezero Crater, contains organic molecules and unusual mineral patterns that could be “potential biosignatures” – in other words, possible chemical traces of ancient microbial activity nasa.gov. These findings underwent rigorous peer review and were just published in Nature, indicating the data’s validity. At a Sept. 10 briefing, top NASA scientists and officials highlighted the significance of this discovery. Acting Administrator Sean Duffy emphasized how remarkable