US EditionNASA Says Perseverance's 'Sapphire Canyon' Sample Holds Potential Biosignature
- On July 21, 2024, NASA's Perseverance rover drilled into Cheyava Falls in Jezero Crater, Mars, and collected its 25th sample named Sapphire Canyon.
- This event followed Perseverance's exploration of Jezero Crater since February 2021, aiming to find potential signs of ancient life in clay-rich, mudstone rocks of Neretva Vallis.
- Researchers identified iron phosphate and sulfide nodules linked with organic carbon, suggesting complex low-temperature redox reactions that might indicate biological processes or non-biological chemistry.
- Lead researcher Joel Hurowitz said, "We can't go so far as to say, 'A-ha, this is proof positive of life,'" while Janice Bishop and Mario Parente highlighted the need to rule out non-biological explanations.
- NASA's Mars Sample Return program plans to retrieve these samples for Earth-based lab analysis, but budget and priorities put the mission on hold, delaying definitive life confirmation.
199 Articles
199 Articles
NASA highlights potential evidence of past life in Martian rock
Scientists have found potential evidence of past life on Mars in a rock sample collected by a NASA rover, even as a proposed budget cancels plans to return those samples. The post NASA highlights potential evidence of past life in Martian rock appeared first on SpaceNews.
NASA's Perseverance rover has found minerals that could indicate the former existence of life on Mars.
NASA’s Perseverance finds potential evidence of ancient life on Mars: Study
NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance may have found evidence of potential ancient microbial life on Mars, but scientists stress that an analysis on Earth is needed to confirm that possibility. While NASA’s science mission chief Nicky Fox said it is “certainly not the final answer,” she added that it's ”the closest we’ve actually come to discovering ancient life on Mars.” How the samples were taken Researchers released the findings on Wednesday. The ne…
A discovery on Mars has scientists excited: Perseverance has found minerals that raise the possibility of ancient life on the red planet.
Trump's new Nasa boss announces that Nasa has discovered signs of extraterrestrial life, but scientists still have a few questions.
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