NASA has discovered a significant new piece of evidence suggesting the possibility of ancient microbial life on Mars.
The question of extraterrestrial life intrigues us all, and new findings indicate that such life might have existed on Mars in the distant past.
However, uncovering definitive proof is challenging. NASA scientists have found intriguing hints, but further investigation is necessary to confirm whether the evidence is biological in nature.
Nevertheless, excitement is running high after NASA’s Perseverance rover discovered rocks with a leopard-print pattern last year at the base of a canyon carved by a river in the Bright Angel Formation area.
“We’ve not had something like this before so I think that’s the big deal,” said Professor Sanjeev Gupta, a planetary scientist from Imperial College London.
These mudstone rocks are approximately 3.5 billion years old and are composed of fine-grained rock formed from clays. While Mars is a cold and arid desert today, evidence suggests that it once had a thick atmosphere and bodies of water, making it a prime candidate for studying past life.
Before transmitting its data and findings back to Earth, the rover analyzed the minerals in the rocks. The results are promising.
“We think what we have found is evidence for a set of chemical reactions which took place in the mud that was deposited in the bottom of the lake, and those chemical reactions seem to have taken place between the mud itself and organic matter—and those two ingredients reacted to form new minerals,” explained Joel Hurowitz from Stony Brook University in New York.
Scientists have also considered how these minerals might have formed without microbial involvement, determining that natural geological processes could be responsible. Nonetheless, the significance of the findings has led NASA to describe them as ‘potential biosignatures’.
“We have found features in the rocks that if you saw them on Earth could be explained by biology—by microbial process. So we’re not saying that we found life, but we’re saying that it really gives us something to chase,” Gupta noted.
To definitively determine the potential for life on Mars, a mission to the planet is essential.
However, obtaining a sample from Mars is complicated by potential budget cuts to the US Space Agency.
These proposed cuts have been included in Donald Trump’s 2026 budget, and unfortunately, the sample return mission is one of those at risk.
Samples in canisters will remain on the Martian surface, waiting for a mission to retrieve them and bring them back to Earth.
Uncertainty looms over NASA’s plans for continued exploration due to potential budget cuts in 2026. However, if these plans falter, China is reportedly planning a sample mission in 2028.
Scientists are eagerly awaiting further developments.
“I think for true confidence, most scientists would want to see and examine these rocks on Earth—this is one of our high priority samples to return,” added Professor Gupta.