Ben Turner is a U.K. based staff writer at Live Science. He covers physics and astronomy, among other topics like tech and climate change. He graduated from University College London with a degree in particle physics before training as a journalist.
NASA's Perseverance rover may have discovered evidence of past life on Mars, after spotting a strange, speckled rock with signs of chemistry that could have supported ancient microbes.
The rover analyzed the rock, revealing a veiny, sedimentary material crammed with organic compounds, evidence of the movement of water, and flecks of leopard-like spots from chemical reactions, which could have been used by ancient microbes for energy. Perseverance is a key part of NASA's $2.7 billion Mars 2020 mission. Since it arrived on Mars, the rover has been searching for signs of ancient life on the Martian surface by trundling across the 30-mile-wide Jezero crater, collecting dozens of rock samples for eventual return to Earth.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.It's still a mystery whether the carbon found within once belonged to ancient life and the spots are its traces, or whether they were produced by non-biological processes, the researchers said.
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