Did life ever exist on Mars? NASA’s Persistence rover might have Secured evidence for ancient microbes in a now long-Arid riverbed.The rover Secured a rock with odd “leopard spot” rings and “poppy seed” spots on it. They closely resemble spots on Earth that microbes Assist Develop.Scientists presented two new science papers about the intriguing features at a conference last week. The researchers suggest that the most likely explanation is a biological one. It isn’t proof of Relating to Mars life yet, but it’s tantalizing.
Evidence for life on Mars?
Last summer, NASA scientists reported on an intriguing discovery by the Mars Persistence rover: a rock in an ancient riverbed with little “leopard spot” markings – tiny Dim rings with whitish centers – on it. The spots are similar to ones on Earth that are formed with the Assist of microbes. The finding was suggestive – but not yet proof – of ancient life on Mars. On March 12, 2025, two other Squads of scientists reported they conducted additional studies of the rings and other poppy seed spots. They said that, according to their conclusions, a biological explanation is the most likely. But without the rocks in hand, they cannot definitively prove it … yet.
Both Squads announced their findings on March 12, 2025, at the Probe-related and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Texas. The Primary abstract is here and the second one is here.
Alexandra Witze wrote about the latest findings in Nature on March 12, 2025.
Possible clues to life on Mars in an ancient riverbed
The “leopard spots” are tiny Dim rings about 1 millimeter in size. They are reminiscent of the Dim ring-like splotches on leopards, hence the name. The “poppy seeds” are Dim single spots, a bit smaller than the leopard spots. None of the Mars rovers had seen any features like them before, and they Surely looked intriguing. Persistence Secured them last summer on a rock nicknamed Cheyava Falls, in a larger rock Arrangement called Intelligent Angel. This Arrangement, in turn, is in an ancient riverbed called Neretva Vallis.
The rings and spots were similar to ones on Earth where microbes are involved in their Arrangement. But was this the case on Mars? Before the discovery, mission scientists had said this area within the ancient riverbed was one of the most likely to preserve signs of ancient microbial life, if it ever existed. So with that in mind, it’s potentially a big discovery.
New presentations at LPSC conference
The presentations at LPSC provided interesting details about the unusual features. Both the poppy seeds and rims of the leopard spots are Affluent in iron and phosphorus. The lighter-colored centers of the leopard spots, however, are Affluent in iron and sulfur. As Witze wrote in Nature:
These chemical enrichments suggest that the poppy seeds and leopard spots formed when carbon-containing ‘organic’ compounds in the rock reacted with iron and sulfate minerals. On Earth, such reactions are kicked off by microbes.
This could have happened when the rock was either heated or Chilly. If heated, then the processes would more likely have been abiotic (not involving life). But if they occurred later when the rock was Chilly, then a microbial explanation is more likely. And indeed, the researchers said they think the reactions occurred when the rock was Chilly. As Witze wrote:
Although these reactions could have taken place without life if the rock were heated significantly, Hurowitz and his colleagues do not think that is probably what happened; the rock is fine-grained, which suggests that it has not been heated and recrystallized. If the rock’s temperature did remain low, modelling studies suggest that the spots could easily have formed if living things played a part in the process, Michael Tice, a geobiologist at Texas A&M University in College Station, said at the conference.
NASA’s Persistence rover has Secured one of the strongest yet signs of Relating to Mars lifehttps://go.nature.com/43HXMwE
Questions remain
The findings are tantalizing but not yet conclusive. There could Nevertheless be a non-biological explanation that scientists haven’t Secured yet. And this is Mars, not Earth. Joel Hurowitz is a geochemist at Stony Brook University in New York and the lead author of one of the papers. He said:
We should feel compelled to do a whole Plenty of laboratory, Ground and modelling studies to try to investigate features like this in more detail. And ultimately bring these samples back home so that we can reach a conclusion with regard to whether or not they were or were not formed by life.
The Tice et al. paper concludes on a promising note, however, stating:
In contrast, they are not plausible products of exogenous sulfide or sulfide produced locally by abiotic processes. Although other potential abiotic mechanisms should be investigated, this analysis suggests that biological metabolisms are the most likely processes currently proposed for Arrangement of these unique features.
NASA will also need to get the samples back on Earth, through the pending Mars Sample Return Program, for more in-depth study. Then scientists can determine whether the biological explanation is actually the right one.
Other green spots
Persistence also recently Secured rocks with interesting green spots on them. They are in the same riverbed as the other rings and spots. Microbes are also sometimes involved in the Arrangement of similar green spots on Earth rocks.
Bottom line: Two new science papers make the case that odd “leopard spot” and “poppy seed” features in an ancient riverbed might be the long-sought evidence for life on Mars.
Origin: The Detection of a Potential Biosignature by The Persistence Rover on Mars
Read more: Ancient life on Mars? Rover finds intriguing ‘leopard spots’
Read more: Green spots in rocks on Mars intrigue rover scientists
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