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Did Mars harbour life? One of the strongest signs yet is spotted in a peculiar rock

The intriguing chemistry of a rock collected by the Perseverance rover could trace to microbial activity — or not.
By
  1. Alexandra Witze

    1. Alexandra Witze writes for Nature from Boulder, Colorado.

NASA’s Perseverance rover has found possible hints of ancient life on Mars ― one of the strongest signs yet of Martian life, according to planetary scientists. Dark-rimmed ‘leopard spots’ in a rock studied by the rover last year could be the remains of Martian microbial activity, researchers said at a conference today.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00772-2

References

  1. Green, J. et al. Nature 598 575–579 (2021).

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