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Scientists at NASA's <keyword id="12756716" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Perseverance-Mars-rover-mission" source="Orion">Perseverance Mars rover mission</keyword> have discovered that rocks in the <keyword id="4183780" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="jezero" source="Orion">Jezero</keyword> Crater on the Red Planet have interacted with water multiple times over the eons and that some contain organic molecules. The team discovered the organic compounds on the 45 kilometres Jezero, which hosted a big lake and a river delta in the ancient past, using the <keyword id="10842370" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="SHERLOC" source="Orion">SHERLOC</keyword> (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) instrument. They found carbon-containing molecules not only in the interiors of abraded rocks that SHERLOC analysed, but also in the dust on non-abraded rock. However, in a statement the scientist said finding of organics "is not a confirmation that life once existed in Jezero and left telltale signs (biosignatures). There are both biological and non-biological mechanisms that create organics". Curiosity rover has also discovered organics at its landing site within Gale Crater. At the same time, the preservation of organics inside ancient rocks -- regardless of origin -- at both Gale and Jezero Craters does hint that potential biosignatures (signs of life, whether past or present) could be preserved, too, the scientists said. "This is a question that may not be solved until the samples are returned to Earth, but the preservation of organics is very exciting," said Luther Beegle, SHERLOC principal investigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, in the statement. "When these samples are returned to Earth, they will be a source of scientific inquiry and discovery for many years," Beegle added. The findings were presented at the recently-held American Geophysical Union fall science meeting in New Orleans. <keyword id="30862" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="perseverance" source="Orion">Perseverance</keyword> has been collecting Martian rock samples in search of ancient microscopic life. Of Perseverance's 43 sample tubes, six have been sealed to date -- four with rock cores, one with Martian atmosphere, and one that contained "witness" material to observe any contamination the rover might have brought from Earth. Mars Sample Return seeks to bring select tubes back to Earth, where generations of scientists will be able to study them with powerful lab equipment far too large to send to Mars. Meanwhile, the scientists also discovered that the Jezero Crater on the Red Planet where the six-wheeled explorer has been driving on since landing in February has organic is likely formed from red-hot magma. Using PIXL instrument, short for <keyword id="12756717" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="planetary-instrument-for-x-ray-lithochemistry" source="Orion">Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry</keyword>, scientists had a "good look at the abraded patch of a rock from the area nicknamed 'South Seitah'". The "texture indicates the rock formed when crystals grew and settled in a slowly cooling magma -- for example a thick lava flow, lava lake, or magma chamber", said Ken Farley, Perseverance Project Scientist from California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, in the statement. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/constant-fii-selling-since-october-bleeds-indian-markets/articleshow/88339477.cms">Constant FII selling since October bleeds Indian markets; IndusInd Bank, Tata Motors, ONGC top losers</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/netflix-vs-disney-plus-hotstar-plans-compared/articleshow/88339217.cms">Netflix vs Disney+ Hotstar: Subscription plans compared</a>

NASA's Perseverance rover discovers organic chemicals on Mars

Ever heard the phrase “Genesis in Stone,” which implies that rocks or stone formations could hold crucial information about the origins of life or the early conditions of a planet? Well, it perfectly captures the essence of NASA’s latest discovery on <keyword id="47638" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mars" source="Orion">Mars</keyword>. NASA’s <keyword id="19945326" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Perseverance-rover" source="keywords">Perseverance rover</keyword> has stumbled upon a vein-filled rock that could be a time capsule from an ancient Martian era. It has been nicknamed ‘<keyword id="22551289" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cheyava-Falls" source="keywords">Cheyava Falls</keyword>’, after a waterfall in the Grand Canyon, US. This arrowhead-shaped rock could provide critical insights into the long-debated question of whether Mars once harboured microscopic life. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Organic compounds, leopard spots and olivine crystals" comment="subhead" text="Organic compounds, leopard spots and olivine crystals">Organic compounds, <keyword id="22554265" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="leopard-spots" source="keywords">leopard spots</keyword> and <keyword id="22554266" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="olivine-crystals" source="keywords">olivine crystals</keyword></cmsannotation> This rock—the rover's 22nd rock core sample—was collected on July 21 from the northern edge of Neretva Vallis. This ancient river valley, 400 metres wide, was carved by water that once rushed into Jezero Crater. Onboard instruments have analysed Cheyava Falls and discovered qualities that suggest it could be an indicator of ancient life. The rock exhibits chemical signatures and structures that might have formed billions of years ago, back when the area was rich with running water. The rover's SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman &amp; Luminescence for Organics &amp; Chemicals) instrument has performed multiple scans of Cheyava Falls, detecting organic compounds within it. However, these carbon-based molecules, considered the building blocks of life, can also form through non-biological processes. Cheyava Falls measures 3.2 feet by 2 feet and has several intriguing characteristics. It features large white calcium sulphate veins running through it and bands of reddish material, suggesting the presence of hematite—a mineral responsible for Mars's rusty colour. Closer inspection of these red regions revealed millimetre-sized off-white splotches, each ringed with black material resembling leopard spots. Perseverance's PIXL (Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry) determined that these black halos contain iron and phosphate. On Earth, such features in rocks often indicate a fossilised record of microbes that once lived below the surface. These leopard spots can form in sedimentary terrestrial rocks when chemical reactions involving hematite transform the rock from red to white. These reactions can release iron and phosphate, potentially causing the black halos to appear. Such reactions can serve as an energy source for microbes, explaining the association between these features and microbial life on Earth. <div type="image" title="Mars leopard spots" msid="112035966" hostid="261" sizebytes="108566" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;An annotated version of the image of “Cheyava Falls” indicates the markings akin to leopard spots and the olivine in the rock. The image was captured by the WATSON instrument on NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover on July 18.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The organic matter and leopard spots aren't the only intriguing aspects of Cheyava Falls. The science team was also surprised to discover millimetre-sized olivine crystals within the veins. This mineral forms from magma, suggesting the olivine might be related to rocks formed higher up the river valley rim, possibly through the crystallisation of magma. It is important to note that scientists have been unable to determine exactly how the rock formed and to what extent nearby rocks may have contributed to its features. They may be able to dig out more information, but only after the rock sample returns to Earth. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111898966" title="Freaky finding: NASA&amp;#39;s Curiosity rover has found something on Mars that shouldn’t have existed there!" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>“We have zapped that rock with lasers and X-rays and imaged it literally day and night from just about every angle imaginable. Scientifically, Perseverance has nothing more to give,” said Ken Farley, Perseverance project scientist of Caltech in Pasadena. “To fully understand what really happened in that Martian river valley at Jezero Crater billions of years ago, we'd want to bring the Cheyava Falls sample back to Earth, so it can be studied with the powerful instruments available in laboratories.” Until then, Cheyava Falls will continue to be an intriguing piece of the Martian puzzle, further motivating humanity to unravel the cosmic mysteries of life's origins hidden in Mars’ landscape.

Perseverance rover has found a rock with potential signs of ancient life on Mars! Scientists can’t wait to bring it back

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NASA's Perseverance rover discovers organic chemicals on Mars

IANS

Perseverance rover has found a rock with potential signs of ancient life on Mars! Scientists can’t wait to bring it back

Kunal Kambli

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