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A Significant Discovery On Mars Reignites The Debate About The Possibility Of Ancient Life On The Planet. Scientists Identified The Largest Organic Compounds Ever Found There, Which May Indicate That Habitable Conditions Existed In The Martian Past
A discovery made by NASA’s Curiosity rover revealed the largest organic compounds ever detected on the Red Planet. The elements were found in a rock sample that is 3.7 billion years old. The rock was buried in Yellowknife Bay, an area where a lake existed with ideal conditions for the emergence of life on Mars.
These compounds are long-chain alkanes. On Earth, they are found in the cell membranes of living organisms. However, they can also form through chemical processes without the involvement of life.
The scientists emphasize that, despite the discovery, no biosignature — direct evidence of past or present life — was identified.
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Dr. Caroline Freissinet, an analytical chemist involved in the study, explained that the detected molecules may have biological or chemical origins: “These molecules can be made by chemistry or biology. If we have long-chain fatty acids on Mars, they may come — and it’s just a hypothesis — from the degradation of the membranes of cells present 3.7 billion years ago.”
Life On Mars: New Techniques Reveal Larger Compounds
The research team developed a new procedure to analyze a larger part of the siltstone sample. The result was the detection of larger molecules, such as decane, undecane, and dodecane.
These substances are examples of long-chain alkanes, which are more complex than those found previously.
The analyzed sample was named Cumberland. Tests indicate that it contained carboxylic acids, also known as fatty acids. During heating in the analysis process, they transformed into alkanes.
According to the researchers, even if the processes that form these acids are chemical, they continue to be typical products of terrestrial biochemistry — and perhaps Martian biochemistry as well.
At another point in the study, a curious characteristic was observed in the formation of these compounds: they develop by the addition of two carbon atoms at a time. This also occurs in Earth organisms.
“The one in the middle with 12 carbons is more abundant than the other two. We have the same trend on Mars, but a trend drawn from three molecules is not a real trend. Still, it’s very intriguing,” said Freissinet.
Promising Indications For Future Discoveries
The new discovery reinforces the idea that organic compounds can remain preserved for billions of years in Martian rock. This increases the chance of finding ancient signs of life on Mars.
The Curiosity is even transporting another rock sample that may contain even larger organic compounds.
The Curiosity mission began in 2011. Since then, the rover has traveled over 32 kilometers in Gale Crater. During this journey, it has been finding clues about the past of the Red Planet.
Six years after the mission began, in 2017, it had already detected organic compounds in ancient siltstones, but these were small molecules with short carbon chains.
Since October 2023, the vehicle has entered a new phase of exploration. It is in a region of Mars with the presence of sulfate, which may hold new evidence about the planet’s chemical composition.
Moreover, Curiosity has spent over seven years climbing Mount Sharp, a location with layered formations that help tell the geological history of Mars.
Curiosity Continues Its Mission In Search Of Answers
The current analysis represents an important milestone in the mission. With larger organic compounds, the scientific community’s interest in the possibility of past life on the red planet grows. The research does not confirm this possibility but opens promising avenues for new investigations.
The new sample that the rover is carrying may provide more answers. It has the potential to reveal even more complex compounds, which could reinforce the evidence of fatty acids with even carbon chains — a common feature in biological processes.
This discovery marks another step in NASA’s ongoing work to understand Mars. Curiosity continues its journey, expanding knowledge about Earth’s neighboring planet.
With information from Interesting Engineering.
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