NASA ROVER DETECTS ORGANIC CARBON IN MARTIAN ROCKS

NASA's Perseverance rover has identified complex carbon molecules in Martian rocks that scientists regard as potential indicators of ancient microbial life. The rover's Sherloc instrument detected organic carbon in mudstones from the Bright Angel outcrop whilst traversing Neretva Vallis, a dried riverbed that carried water into Jezero crater billions of years ago. The carbon identified, known as macromolecular carbon or MMC, can originate from living organisms. However, geological processes can also produce the material, meaning detection does not constitute proof of past life on Mars.

Dr Ashley Murphy at the Planetary Science Institute in Arizona stated that MMC may originate from biological sources such as fossilised organic matter in microbial mats and coal. The material can also form through reactions between rocks and water or arrive via meteorite impact. The Bright Angel outcrop rocks previously attracted attention in 2024 when Perseverance discovered surface spots and nodules resembling fossilised microbial features found on Earth. When those findings were published, Sean Duffy, former acting head of NASA, described the discovery as potentially "the clearest sign of life that we've ever found on Mars."

Murphy's team detected complex carbon by directing Perseverance's Sherloc ultraviolet laser at the rocks and measuring scattered light. Tests on the Cheyava Falls mudstone revealed macromolecular carbon on its surface, suggesting recent exposure to the Martian environment or resistance to radiation and chemical oxidation that typically destroys organics. Perseverance and the Curiosity rover, exploring Gale crater, have now found organic-bearing mudstones separated by more than 2,000 miles across Mars.