It's possible that the Perseverance rover has recently discovered organic chemical traces in Jezero Crater rocks.
Organic chemicals have already been detected on Mars by previous research. Evidence of this has been provided by the Mars Express orbiter, the Curiosity rover, and Perseverance's data. All of this doesn't necessarily imply life; after all, a number of geological occurrences may support carbon-based chemistry.
The Red Planet may have previously supported some kind of biological activity, but more research into these substances may provide additional information about the water history of Mars.
The minerals, which were collected from two distinct locations inside the crater, provide evidence of aquatic processes that carved out the ideal tiny hollows for preparing some organic chemistry. They may even include traces of carbon-based molecules, according to one kind of examination.
Long ago, the Jezero Crater was more wetter than it is now. The ancient river delta that formerly extended over the crater bottom may still be seen in certain places. Organic chemicals similar to those already present in the ancient delta may arise as a consequence of water and rock interactions.
However, it has remained unclear if there are other organic molecules on the crater bottom. When Perseverance arrived, we discovered that most of the crater floor was volcanic, not sedimentary, contrary to what scientists had anticipated. Sedimentary rock, which was long ago deposited by water, would have made up the majority of the rock found there.
An international team lead by planetary scientist Eva Scheller of Caltech and MIT performed a probe of igneous rocks on the crater floor using Perseverance's Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) instrument.
They examined three rocks from two different locations in the crater using deep ultraviolet Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy and discovered evidence of extensive water interaction with the rocks.
Two separate types of change had occurred, indicating two unique aquatic environments at various points in the distant past.
In igneous rock that was rich in olivine between 3.8 and 2.7 billion years ago, interactions with liquid water led to the production of carbonates.
Later, between 2.6 and 2.3 billion years ago, salty briny water may have caused salt mixes (sulfate-perchlorate) to form in the rocks.
Perchlorates and carbonates both need water to penetrate the rocks in order to dissolve and deposit minerals in voids created by water erosion. Since perchlorates dissolve easily, it is unlikely that water has come into contact with the rocks since the perchlorates were deposited.
The scientists discovered fluorescence fingerprints in all three of the rocks that were compatible with benzene-like aromatic chemical molecules. The researchers claim that these appear to be preserved in minerals from both aqueous environments, but we are unsure of their exact nature at this time.
Overall, the data indicate that the drilled samples taken by Perseverance from the Jezero crater floor are likely to have carbonation and sulfate and perchlorate evidence, they write in their paper.
The interaction of igneous rocks, aqueous alteration, and organic material on Mars is indicated by fluorescence signatures that are consistent with the presence of organics in these materials.
The locations where these data gathering efforts were made have long ago changed. Fortunately, it also took samples of the rocks themselves in case they were later transported back to Earth on a mission that hasn't yet taken off.
Geochemist Mark Sephton of Imperial College London in the UK says, "I hope that one day these samples could be returned to Earth so that we can look at the evidence of water and possible organic matter, and explore whether conditions were right for life in the early history of Mars.
We won't get the assurance we want right now, so. But bringing those rocks into a lab on Earth with tools that can examine the compounds in great detail may reveal more about Mars's historic habitability or lack thereof.
Perseverance may find some stronger hints while it is still slowly scouring the Jezero Crater.
All we can do is wait and see.
Science has published the research.
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