Nasa rover finds possible signs of ancient tiny life on Mars

Perseverance rover finds carbon molecules in rocks from a riverbed that carried water long ago.

Published 24 June 2026 386 words
SCIENCE B1
Nasa rover finds possible signs of ancient tiny life on Mars

Nasa's Perseverance rover has found complex carbon molecules in rocks on Mars. These rocks are already being studied because they might show signs of ancient microbial life.

The rover used an instrument called Sherloc to find organic carbon in mudstones. These rocks are from an area called Bright Angel. This area is part of an old, dry riverbed that flowed into Jezero crater billions of years ago.

The type of carbon found is called macromolecular carbon. It can be made by living things, but it can also be made by natural geological processes. This means it is not yet definite proof of ancient life on Mars.

Scientists explained that this carbon can be found in different kinds of rocks and places. It might come from living things, like fossils of tiny organisms. However, it could also form when water reacts with rocks, or it might have been brought to Mars by meteorites.

These mudstone rocks previously caused excitement in 2024 when Perseverance spotted features that looked like fossilised microbes. Some Nasa officials thought this could be the clearest sign of life ever found on Mars.

In the new study, scientists analysed the rocks by shining an ultraviolet laser from the Sherloc instrument onto them. They then measured the light that reflected back to find the complex carbon.

Tests on one rock showed this carbon was on its surface. This suggests it was either exposed recently or is strong enough to survive Mars' harsh conditions, like radiation and chemical changes that usually destroy organic material.

This discovery means Nasa rovers have now found mudstones with organic material in them more than 2,000 miles apart on Mars. This suggests that Mars may have been a place where life could exist and where organic materials were common across the planet billions of years ago.

Scientists say that Nasa rovers cannot definitively say if the carbon came from ancient microbes or from non-living processes. The best way to find out for sure would be to test the rock samples in laboratories on Earth. A mission to bring Martian samples back is being planned for the 2030s, and China also plans to bring back its own samples in 2031.

Vocabulary

microbial life — Very small living things, like bacteria, that can only be seen with a microscope.
rover — A vehicle with wheels designed to explore the surface of a planet or moon.
molecules — A group of atoms joined together, forming the smallest part of a substance that has the properties of that substance.
organic carbon — Carbon found in materials that come from living things or that were once alive.
geological processes — Natural changes and events that happen on Earth or other planets, like the movement of rocks and land.
meteorites — Rocks from space that fall to the Earth or another planet.
habitability — The quality of a place that makes it possible for living things to survive there.
definitively — In a way that is certain and without doubt.

Discussion Questions

  1. What kind of molecules did the Perseverance rover find in the Martian rocks?
  2. Why is finding these carbon molecules not yet proof of ancient life on Mars?
  3. What is the best way for scientists to find out if the carbon molecules came from ancient life?

Based on an article from The Guardian.

Read the original article