In a significant step forward for the search for signs of ancient life beyond Earth, NASA's long-lived Curiosity rover has detected a suite of organic molecules in a Martian rock sample — including several never before identified on the Red Planet.
The findings, verified years after the sample was collected, add compelling evidence that Mars once possessed the complex carbon chemistry essential for life as we know it.
The discovery stems from an experiment conducted in October 2020, when Curiosity drilled into a rock formation within the Mount Sharp region of Gale Crater.
