NASA (United States space agency) announced the discovery of a new rock collected on Mars that is intriguing scientists. The samples were collected by Perseverance rover on July 21, 2024, in the region of an ancient river valley in the north of the planet, called Neretva Vallis.
The valley region, approximately 400 meters wide, is a formation created by the water current that flowed into the Jezero Crater billions of years ago — Jezero was an ancient lake that “supplied” the planet with water.
Scientists nicknamed the rock Cheyava Falls, after the largest cataract in the Grand Canyon; its features make it resemble the tip of an arrow. In an official statement, the NASA explains that the rock can help solve one of Mars’ biggest mysteries: was the celestial body ever inhabited by some type of microscopic life billions of years ago?
“We designed the route for Perseverance to ensure it goes to areas with the potential for interesting scientific samples. This trip along the Neretva Vallis riverbed was worth it as we found something we have never seen before, which will give our scientists a lot to study,” said NASA Science Mission Directorate Associate Administrator Nicola Fox.
Traces of ancient microbes
In an analysis carried out by the rover’s own instruments, scientists detected chemical signatures, stains and other characteristics that help reveal whether Mars has ever housed some kind of ancient microscopic life.
Scientists explain that it makes sense that these features were found near a region that once had running water — one of the elements necessary for life as we know it. The samples also showed evidence of organic compounds, but they say this property could have formed through non-biological processes.
The analyzes were carried out using the SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals) and PIXL (Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry) instruments on the Perseverance rover.
“On the one hand, we have our first convincing detection of organic material, distinct colored spots indicative of chemical reactions that microbial life could use as an energy source, and clear evidence that water — necessary for life — once passed through the rock. On the other hand, we have not been able to determine exactly how the rock formed and to what extent nearby rocks may have heated Cheyava Falls and contributed to these features,” said Caltech (California Institute of Technology) scientist and Perseverance project associate, Ken Farley.
Mars: the mystery continues
David Flannery, an astrobiologist on the Perseverance science team, says the spots observed on the rock are similar to features of rocks with records of fossilized microbes on Earth. These spots can result from different chemical reactions and are commonly associated with environments inhabited by terrestrial microbes. However, scientists are still unsure whether the features of Cheyava Falls are indeed indicative of the presence of ancient life.
Furthermore, the researchers were also confused by another aspect: the rock’s veins are filled with a material formed by magma, olivine. They question whether this set of chemical reactions could have caused the attributes observed in the analysis.
In any case, the Perseverance rover has already carried out all possible analyzes and, unfortunately, there is still no way to confirm whether Mars really harbored ancient microbes. The mission team says that it will only be possible to find out more if a sample is sent for testing on Earth, but this is not likely to happen anytime soon.
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