{"id":65225,"date":"2025-09-15T10:15:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T10:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/65225\/"},"modified":"2025-09-15T10:15:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T10:15:07","slug":"life-on-mars-nasa-finds-clearest-sign-ever-perseverance-rover-discovers-leopard-spots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/65225\/","title":{"rendered":"Life on Mars: NASA finds \u2018clearest sign ever\u2019; Perseverance rover discovers \u2018leopard spots\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASA\u2019s Perseverance rover has added fresh clues in the search for life on Mars<\/a>. It has found signs in Martian rocks that remind scientists of conditions linked to life on Earth. The new study was published in Nature.<\/p>\n

In July 2024, it drilled a mudstone core named Chevaya Falls from Sapphire Canyon in the Neretva Vallis, an ancient river channel. It found minerals and textures similar to those on Earth that often form with microbial activity.<\/p>\n

However, scientists caution that natural chemistry may also explain them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis finding by Perseverance is the closest we have ever come to discovering life on Mars. The identification of a potential biosignature on the Red Planet is a groundbreaking discovery, and one that will advance our understanding of Mars,\u201d said acting NASA<\/a> Administrator Sean Duffy.<\/p>\n

\u201cNASA\u2019s commitment to conducting Gold Standard Science will continue as we pursue our goal of putting American boots on Mars\u2019 rocky soil,\u201d Duffy added.<\/p>\n

The core sample is now sealed for possible return to Earth for advanced testing.<\/p>\n

Joel A. Hurowitz of Stony Brook University led the study describing mudstone textures and nodules, informally called \u201cleopard spots\u201d. Instruments SHERLOC and PIXL detected organic carbon along with phosphate, iron and sulfur in repeating patterns.<\/p>\n

Two minerals stand out: vivianite and greigite. On Earth, these often appear in water-rich, oxygen-poor sediments influenced by microbes.<\/p>\n

Vivianite forms blue-green nodules where microbes reduce iron. Greigite links to sulfate-reducing bacteria. In the Martian sample, vivianite rims surround greigite-rich cores, resembling Earth\u2019s microbial reactions.<\/p>\n

While this does not prove life on Mars, the rocks from Bright Angel show conditions compatible with microbial activity. Scientists say it is a cautious but exciting step forward in the search for life on Mars.<\/p>\n

Does this prove life on Mars?<\/p>\n

NASA officials have stressed caution over the new Mars<\/a> findings. Nicky Fox of NASA\u2019s Science Mission Directorate said, \u201cIt\u2019s not life itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Fox, it is only a potential biosignature.<\/p>\n

Hurowitz echoed this: \u201cWe cannot claim this is more than a potential biosignature.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, Duffy keeps the options open.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis very well could be the clearest sign of life that we\u2019ve ever found on Mars,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s Perseverance rover has added fresh clues in the search for life on Mars. It has found signs…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65226,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[18,14680,19,17,45952,45950,45944,45953,45951,45949,45948,45947,133,45946,45945],"class_list":{"0":"post-65225","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-ghana","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-is-there-life-on-mars","13":"tag-life-on-mars-found","14":"tag-life-on-mars-nasa","15":"tag-life-on-mars-news","16":"tag-nasa-found-life-on-mars","17":"tag-nasa-life-on-mars","18":"tag-primetime-emmy-awards","19":"tag-rep-michael-mccaul","20":"tag-science","21":"tag-tropical-storms-atlantic","22":"tag-zach-bryan-gavin-adcock-fight"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}