Perseverance rover finds even more signs of extinct life on Mars
Yet another Martian rock formation has yielded signs that could point to ancient life on Mars. Scientists analysing Perseverance’s samples from Jezero Crater, specifically the Cheyava Falls rock, report macromolecular carbon (MMC) detected with SHERLOC and WATSON. MMCs on Earth link to organic compounds essential to life, and the find echoes Curiosity’s 2018 kerogen discovery far away in Gale crater. While promising, the team notes multiple non-biological ways MMCs can form, so they stop short of proving life. They stress that definitive proof requires returning samples to Earth for thorough analysis. Perseverance’s ongoing mission may still be a game changer, but Mars sample return plans face uncertainty, even as China gears up for its own return missions.