The Bright Angel area where an intriguing Martian rock was discovered NASA/JPL-Caltech
Scientists are narrowing down explanations for a potential chemical sign of ancient life on Mars. This sign – marks found on Martian rocks last year – could have been caused by microbes or by a reaction that takes place only at high temperatures. New findings suggest the biological explanation is more likely.
Last year, while exploring an ancient lakebed called Bright Angel in Mars’s Jezero crater, NASA’s Perseverance rover discovered a rock with unusual markings – called “leopard…
Article amended on 21 March 2025
We have clarified how the samples might be returned to Earth.
Article amended on 28 March 2025
We corrected the definition of redox reactions.
