11.09.2025 00:31
NASA announced that colorful structures known as 'leopard spots' and 'poppy seeds,' collected from a rock sample discovered on Mars by the Perseverance Rover, are the 'clearest signs' that there may have been life on the Red Planet in the past.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) may have found traces of past life in the 'leopard-patterned' rocks of Mars.
MAY HAVE BEEN FORMED BY ANCIENT LIFE
In a statement from NASA, it was reported that scientists examined a rock sample collected by the Perseverance rover and found 'leopard spots' that may have been formed by ancient life.
CORRESPONDS TO MINERALS
The statement noted that the colorful structures resembling 'poppy seeds' and 'leopard spots' found on a rock sample correspond to minerals traditionally formed as a result of microbial activity on Earth.
"THE CLEAREST SIGN OF LIFE FOUND SO FAR"
NASA's Acting Administrator Sean Duffy stated, "This may be the clearest sign of life we have found on Mars to date." The lead author of the study, Joel Hurowitz, said that the rocks in question are "likely the most exciting" examples from an astrobiological perspective.
Nicky Fox, the manager responsible for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, also stated, "Today, we are showing that we are one step closer to answering one of humanity's deepest questions: whether we are truly alone in the universe."
COLLECTED FROM ROCK FORMATIONS FORMED 3 BILLION YEARS AGO
The sample, called "Sapphire Canyon," was collected by the Perseverance rover from rocky outcrops along the banks of the Neretva Vallis river valley, shaped by water flowing into the Jezero Crater over 3 billion years ago.