Jakarta, CNNIndonesia —
A meteorite from Mars that fell in Morocco 11 years ago has the potential to reveal ancient life on Mars and the geological history of Earth. Why is that?
The meteorite was named Tissint, after the city where it was found in Morocco. Tissint is one of five meteorites from Mars that have been observed.
The meteorite rocks are thought to have formed hundreds of millions of years ago on Mars. There is a possibility, this rock got to Earth due to an explosion on Mars which was extraordinary.
Through a study, experts also found a wealth of organic components in Tissint. The organic components themselves are large molecules containing mostly carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur.
Although related to biological processes and life, organic components can be made through non-biological processes. Experts refer to it as ‘organic abiotic chemical processes’.
That means finding organic components doesn’t prove life exists.
“Understanding the processes and sequences of events that shaped the Tissint material wealth will reveal new details about the Martian habitat as well as possible reactions that could have driven the formation of life,” said Andrew Steele, researcher at the Carnegie Institution for Science.
Furthermore, through this research, experts can analyze in detail the contents of the meteorite. Launch Carnegie Scienceeven experts now have the most comprehensive catalog of the differences in the organic components of a Martian meteorite or in a sample collected from a rover.
In fact, apart from containing the organic components above, Tissint also contains an abundance of magnesium which had never before been present in meteorite samples from Mars.
Collect Spacethese components could provide a glimmer of knowledge about the high-pressure and high-temperature geochemistry that forms the interior of Mars’ inner layers.
Not only that, the abundance of organic magnesium could also point to a connection between the carbon cycle on Mars and the evolution of its minerals.
“Mars and Earth have many similarities in the process of evolution. As life grows and develops on Earth, the question of whether it also existed on Mars is an interesting research topic,” said the study leader, Schimtt-Kopplin.
Experts are currently looking forward to new samples from Mars that are targeted to be carried by NASA’s future missions. This is useful for providing broader information about the geological conditions of the Red Planet -nicknamed Mars.
“Research into life on Mars requires a deeper understanding of water, organic molecules and reactive surfaces on the planet,” he added.
(can/lth)
