NASA Rover Detects Potential Signatures of Ancient Microbial Life On Mars (theguardian.com) 31
NASA's Perseverance rover has detected complex organic carbon in ancient Martian mudstones. The measurements were taken by the rover's Sherloc instrument and the organic carbon that was identified was from the Bright Angel outcrop, "a dried-up river that carried water into the planet's Jezero crater billions of years ago," notes The Guardian. From the report: The form of carbon detected, known as macromolecular carbon or MMC, can originate from living organisms. Geological processes can also produce the material, meaning its detection does not amount to proof of past Martian life. Dr Ashley Murphy at the Planetary Science Institute in Arizona said MMC can be found in different settings and types of rocks. "It may originate from biological sources such as fossilized organic matter found in microbial mats and coal," she said, but could also form in reactions between rocks and water or arrive on impacting meteorites.
The mudstone rocks from the Bright Angel outcrop caused a stir in 2024 when the Perseverance rover discovered intriguing surface spots and nodules that resemble features produced by fossilized microbes on Earth. When the scientific details were published last year, Sean Duffy, the former acting head of Nasa, said: "This very well could be the clearest sign of life that we've ever found on Mars." [...] The discovery means Nasa rovers have now found organic-bearing mudstones more than 2,000 miles apart on Mars. The others were reported by the Curiosity rover which is exploring the planet's Gale crater. It "indicates that the habitability of Mars, and the availability of organics, may have been widespread across the planet billions of years ago," the authors write in Science Advances.
The mudstone rocks from the Bright Angel outcrop caused a stir in 2024 when the Perseverance rover discovered intriguing surface spots and nodules that resemble features produced by fossilized microbes on Earth. When the scientific details were published last year, Sean Duffy, the former acting head of Nasa, said: "This very well could be the clearest sign of life that we've ever found on Mars." [...] The discovery means Nasa rovers have now found organic-bearing mudstones more than 2,000 miles apart on Mars. The others were reported by the Curiosity rover which is exploring the planet's Gale crater. It "indicates that the habitability of Mars, and the availability of organics, may have been widespread across the planet billions of years ago," the authors write in Science Advances.
It's life Jim, but not as we know it (Score:3, Funny)
I guess the conditions were not right for it to thrive. We'll get there just in time to see the same thing happening here. Doh!
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3)
I guess the conditions were not right for it to thrive.
The core cooled, which led to losing its protective magnetic field, which led to losing much of its atmosphere, etc.
We'll get there just in time to see the same thing happening here. Doh!
Not really. Life on earth adapted to higher and lower CO2 levels in the distant past. Life in general is not threatened, as in the Mars case. Its population levels, population centers, and lifestyle that is threatened. That can be an awful mess that costs many lives, but not life in general ending.
Re: (Score:2)
"the greatest arrogance of all: “Save the planet!” What?! Are these fucking people kidding me?! Save the planet? We don’t even know how to take care of ourselves yet! . . . The planet will be here, we’ll be long gone; just another failed mutation; just another closed-end biological mistake; an evolutionary cul-de-sac. The planet will shake us off like a bad case of fleas, a surface nuisance." - George Carlin
Alternative headline (Score:5, Funny)
Hands off the MC MMC stage name, it's mine. (Score:2, Insightful)
Seriously though, I'm glad they're still searching, and it's neat to see that even if we haven't found life yet, even places as inhospitable as Mars probably had the building blocks of life at some point and another. If life-forming environments are common and life isn't, it's positive points towards our chances of being past the great filter; I sure welcome those these days.
Re: (Score:2)
Somehow, I seem to remember this from like 2005 or so.
Alternative article (Score:5, Informative)
https://www.space.com/astronomy/mars/did-nasa-just-find-evidence-of-ancient-life-on-mars-perseverance-rover-spots-complex-carbon-in-red-planet-rocks [space.com]
No need to accept cookie-raping-or-subscription The Guardian, when you can reject cookies from others.
Re: (Score:2)
No problem here. Nothing about cookies or anything else. The problem must be on your end.
More clarity on Fermis Paradox. (Score:4, Insightful)
It's taking shape: Basic life may actually be quite common. Naked apes typing on keyboards on a digital network they built themselves not so much.
The rare earth and rare advanced intelligent life theories just got some extra weight.
Re: More clarity on Fermis Paradox. (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Isn't that the plot of "Heavens to Betsy"?
Direct quote from Battlestar Galactica intro.
Re: (Score:2)
Isn't that the plot of "Heavens to Betsy"?
Direct quote from Battlestar Galactica intro.
Original TV series, not reboot
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
This gives more evidence that life is easy. If that's the case, it increases the chance of any explanation. That does mean things like rare Earth's go up, but it also should increase concern about a Great Filter.
Not really, as Mars due to it's small size wouldn't stay "life friendly" for the billions of years that it took Earth to develop more advanced forms. Not to mention being farther from the sun and much cooler (and thus less life friendly).
Personally I think that the "Goldilocks" planets might be a much narrower specification to achieve a technological civilization plus not having too frequent impact events causing mass extinctions before an intelligent species can achieve technology advanced enough to surv
Re: (Score:2)
This gives more evidence that life is easy.
Not really. Self-replication is the hard part. Once you can get molecules that self-replicate, then life may be easy.
Send Elon Musk to investigate (Score:1, Offtopic)
Re: (Score:1)
Return journey and supplies optional.
Return journey encouraged, provided that Tesla's current Full Self-Driving technology is permanently engaged for the duration of the trip.
I wonder what wiped them out.....? (Score:1)
It's never aliens. (Score:4, Insightful)
This is about the 5th time I remember someone saying they found 'signs' of alien life, and it never is.
Re: (Score:1)
> saying they found 'signs' of alien life, and it never is.
Until we get samples back to Earth labs, we can't really tell. It's just speculation at this point.
The arguments over the meteorite AH-84001 are certainly interesting, but we need "fresher" samples.
Re: (Score:2)
I think that's the real problem. People get so excited over things before they even examine it.
Re: (Score:1)
but to be fair it'll take at least $5 billion to examine it.
"Wolf!" I've been seeing articles like this (Score:2)
since the 1970's Viking missions. Nobody will really know until we get samples back on Earth. (I hope we have immunity if a lab leak.)
The Viking landers detected what look like circadian rhythms, where organisms have an internal clock to optimize metabolism to fit daily temperature swings. The pattern of the rhythm fading over time when kept a constant temperature, and after being baked fit the pattern of certain Earth microbes. But "funny chemistry" can't be ruled out. Mars is a tease.
Re: I'm hearing 'life is not self forming' (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Probably heard it in church Sunday School.
Worse than you think (Score:2)
The latest Centauri Dreams [centauri-dreams.org] essay is about applying the Fermi equation to an intergalactic, possibly whole universe context. The numbers are bleak. TL;DR is if we don't see them everywhere they aren't there at all. I don't buy it this time, but that site is a fascinating and educational read every time.
Not suprising (Score:2)
you can find DNA components in asteroids. Funny thing is we don't try to claim that bacteria or life exist there, but if it's on a planet and you find lesser components then it's always: "I think we found life"