Mars Rock Hints At Ancient Life—But More Study Needed, NASA Says

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Mars Rock Hints At Ancient Life—But More Study Needed, NASA Says
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I began my journalism career with Entrepreneur magazine with a focus on small business technology. As a freelance journalist, I’ve covered gadgets, geek culture, public schools, weird foods, transatlantic travel and Route 66.

the discovery of a Mars rock that “possesses qualities that fit the definition of a possible indicator of ancient life.” The rock is shaped like an arrowhead and was spotted by the Perseverance rover in the Jezero Crater in July. “The rock exhibits chemical signatures and structures that could possibly have been formed by life billions of years ago when the area being explored by the rover contained running water,” NASA said in a statement on Thursday.

Of particular interest are bands of reddish material between the sulfate veins. Within those bands are tiny white splotches ringed with black material. NASA likens them to leopard spots. Perseverance determined the black rings have iron and phosphate. Astrobiologist David Flannery called the spots “a big surprise” and said, “On Earth, these types of features in rocks are often associated with the fossilized record of microbes living in the subsurface.

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