Using a new analysis method, the rover has discovered organic molecules on the surface of Mars. These could be a sign of past life on the planet.
NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has made an interesting discovery in a sample taken in the sandy area of Bagnold dunes, reports Popular Science.
The rover has been searching for biosignatures, ie signs of earlier life, on the red planet for almost ten years. The sample from Bangold dunes does not contain any such, but organic substances that have never been discovered before on Mars: ammonia and benzoic acid.
These organic molecules can in turn be a kind of biomarker. According to researchers at Nasa, the substances can either originate from geological processes, or be remnants of life on our neighboring planet.
May lead to new Mars discoveries
The discovery itself is somewhat random. Four years ago, the drill that Curiosity used to take surface samples stopped working. NASA therefore needed to change technology to make samples, and switched to a method where samples are scooped up from the planet’s surface and then placed in a chemical solution.
The results from the experiment show that this method has the potential to lead to new discoveries on Mars.
The study has been published in the scientific journal Nature Astronomy.
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