As part of future missions, the samples could later be retrieved and brought to Earth for analysis with the full range of instruments available to scientists. (Credit: JPL-Caltech)
Canadian scientists have contributed to exciting new findings from NASA’s Perseverance rover that may point to evidence of past life on Mars.
Researchers from the University of Winnipeg, University of Alberta, and Brock University analyzed rock samples collected from the Bright Angel formation, located in an area believed to be an ancient river channel that fed Jezero Crater billions of years ago. Their study, published in Nature, suggests the presence of a possible “biosignature,” a substance, feature, or pattern that could indicate past or present life.
Minerals in the Bright Angel formation appear to have formed through chemical reactions involving organic, carbon-rich matter. On Earth, similar minerals can be linked to microbial life, though scientists caution that non-biological processes could also produce them. Further study of the collected samples is required to determine whether Mars ever hosted life.
“As part of its mission, Perseverance investigates carefully chosen sites to understand whether habitable conditions existed on Mars,” said Dr. Ed Cloutis of the University of Winnipeg, a co-author of the paper. “These new findings bring us one step closer to answering the question of whether life ever existed on the red planet.”
Other Canadian co-authors include Dr. Chris Herd of the University of Alberta and Dr. Mariek Schmidt of Brock University.
Perseverance uses its onboard instruments to study Martian terrain and rocks in precise locations selected by experts, aiming to uncover the planet’s geologic history and its potential to support life.