– NASA’s Perseverance rover has found an arrow-shaped rock on Mars dubbed “Cheyava Falls” that may have hosted ancient microbial life.
– The rock contains carbon-based molecules and tiny structures that could have provided an energy source for microbes. It also showed evidence of water alteration.
– Notable features include strange colored “leopard spot” markings containing organic compounds and iron/phosphate deposits that on Earth indicate past microbial life.
– While not definitive proof, these characteristics fit the type of features scientists look for as signs of past Martian life near where water once flowed.
– Samples will be collected and returned to Earth for further lab analysis to better understand conditions billions of years ago and determine if the rock provides evidence of ancient Martian life.
– The findings are intriguing but inconclusive, highlighting the need to retrieve samples and examine them with sophisticated Earth-based technology to solve the mystery.
Source: The Telegraph
