Recently, NASA’s Perseverance rover has discovered the strongest evidence to date that ancient microbial life existed on Mars. In a paper published in the journal Nature, the rover mentioned a rock sample collected from a once-riverbed area in Jezero Crater. This rock, nicknamed “Cheyava Falls,” was found to have complex “leopard spots” and “poppy seed” textures, rich in iron phosphates and iron sulfides. On Earth, these specific mineral patterns, combined with the organic carbon found in the sample, are often byproducts of microbial metabolic activity. Although scientists note that these minerals could also form through non-biological processes, the rock’s unique texture and chemical composition make it a potential “biosignature.”
One of the primary objectives of the Perseverance rover is to search for signs of past life in environments that were once habitable. However, the question of whether life ever existed on Mars may still await a definitive answer. The final analysis conclusions of the rock sample will also require it to be returned to laboratories on Earth.