An important discovery was made by NASA, as the Perseverance spacecraft found in an ancient crater evidence that life once existed on the planet Mars.
The research vehicle detected on the surface of Mars organic molecules, which are considered bio-signatures, as they are chemical compounds that are usually found in ecosystems where life exists.
NASA's rover was exploring Jezero Crater, a 28-mile-wide impact basin located north of Mars' equator. There he collected many rock samples, some of which contained signatures of organic molecules.
In some of the rocks collected by Perseverance, scientists have detected traces of organic molecules, which are composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, among other elements. These chemical compounds, also known as bio-signatures, are commonly found in living systems.
The findings, presented recently in the journal Nature , provide new clues that suggest life may once have existed on Mars. The first impression excited the researchers, but in contrast researchers from MIT in California noted that the existence of biosignatures alone does not conclusively indicate the existence of life on Mars.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ilddh4wc-Y
As Razzell Hollis stated: "Importantly, organic molecules can also be created by processes unrelated to life as we know it, and thus organic molecules are not elements of life on their own without sufficient additional elements that cannot be explained by non-biological or abiotic processes”.
For example, the organic molecule methane can be released from many non-biological sources. This includes the eruption of volcanoes, hydrothermal vents, and comet or asteroid impacts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6Y7TtFF4Sg
Nevertheless, Razzell Hollis noted that the discovery of the compounds is still exciting "because they highlight the diversity of organic matter that may have survived on Mars, even after billions of years of degradation."
In addition, the findings help astrobiologists gain more insight into Mars' complex past and future.
And finally he added that: "Although we still can't say for sure whether Mars could have once been habitable, astrobiologists believe that the presence of a variety of organic matter is incredibly important to the ability of a planet or environment to host life."
This is not the first time that Perseverance has detected organic compounds on Mars. And last year, the rover detected signs of biosignatures around the Wildcat Ridge region of Mars using the SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) system.
