NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took measurements and samples in an area called Skinner Ridge, an area of layered sedimentary rock that contains some material likely transported billions of years ago by flowing water hundreds of kilometers away . These sedimentary rocks contain complex organic molecules called aromatics, as well as clay and sulfate minerals, which are created when water interacts with the rock. While none of these substances are signs of life — so-called biosignatures — they do mean that scientists are in the right place. The presence of organic matter became increasingly common as Perseverance drove through the crater, the researchers said . Still, scientists would need to send those samples back to Earth to be sure.
This article is reprinted from: https://www.solidot.org/story?sid=72811
This site is for inclusion only, and the copyright belongs to the original author.