The Curiosity rover has discovered the most diverse set of organic molecules on Mars
NASA's Curiosity rover has detected the most diverse set of organic compounds in the history of Mars exploration.
The discovery was made during the analysis of a rock sample officially named "Mary Anning 3."
The sample was collected back in 2020 near Mount Sharp, where ancient lakes and water flows existed billions of years ago.
The clay-rich rocks of this region have preserved traces of complex chemical processes that took place in Mars’ distant past.
Scientists identified 21 organic molecules in the sample, seven of which had never been found on this planet before. This discovery significantly expands our understanding of the chemical composition of Martian soil and its potential suitability for life.
The researchers were particularly intrigued by nitrogen-containing heterocycles—specific ring structures composed of carbon and nitrogen atoms.
Such molecules play a fundamental role in biology, as they are considered precursors to RNA and DNA.
In addition, benzothiophene was detected during the study. This carbon-sulfur compound was previously known to science primarily through the analysis of meteorites that fall to Earth from outer space.
To conduct a detailed analysis, the rover used its onboard Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) laboratory.
The instrument heats the crushed rock to extremely high temperatures and analyzes the composition of the gases released during the thermal decomposition of the material.
To confirm the accuracy of the data obtained, experts conducted a comparative experiment on Earth.
They used a sample of the Murchison meteorite, which is over 4 billion years old, and obtained similar results from the chemical reactions.
The Perseverance rover found an unusual meteorite on Mars
As a reminder, Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, believes that humanity will be able to establish a sustainable, self-sufficient colony on Mars as early as 2055. A key prerequisite for this is breakthroughs in the field of heavy-lift rockets.
We also previously reported that Elon Musk called for the International Space Station (ISS) to be decommissioned in the near future and for resources to be redirected toward the conquest of Mars.
