Summary
NASA has found a rock sample on Mars that may contain signs of ancient life. The sample comes from an area called "Sapphire Canyon," near an ancient river valley on Mars, and contains features that might be related to biological activity.
Key Facts
- NASA's Perseverance rover collected the rock sample from an area known as "Sapphire Canyon."
- The area is near an ancient river valley called Neretva Vallis, which once flowed into Jezero Crater.
- The sample has small black "poppy seed" spots and larger "leopard spots."
- These spots contain minerals like iron, phosphorus, and sulfur.
- Scientists suggest the patterns could be similar to those left by living organisms.
- There are also nonbiological ways these patterns could have formed, like high heat.
- Perseverance landed on Mars in early 2021 to search for signs of past life.
- The findings were published in the science journal Nature.
