Martian Life Clues, Hawking Vindication, and More – Science News Roundup (Sept 11–12, 2025)
Key Facts Space & Astronomy Possible life on Mars – “potential biosignatures”: NASA’s Perseverance rover has uncovered one of the most tantalizing clues yet that Mars may have hosted ancient life. Scientists reported that a sample of fine-grained, iron-rich mudstone rock from Jezero Crater contains minerals (including vivianite and greigite) that on Earth often form due to microbial activity reuters.com. The rover team spent a year analyzing data from the rock, nicknamed “Sapphire Canyon,” before announcing what they call a “potential biosignature” – a chemical or textural signal that could have a biological origin reuters.com. The rock, which dates back