Overview

• NASA and an international team published peer‑reviewed results in Nature on Sept. 10 describing mineral and chemical patterns in Jezero Crater consistent with possible ancient microbial activity.
• Perseverance’s PIXL and SHERLOC instruments mapped “leopard‑spot” halos and nodules containing iron phosphate (vivianite) and iron sulfide (greigite) alongside organics and redox pairs at low formation temperatures.
• The candidate biosignature comes from a 2024 sampling of a rock dubbed Cheyava Falls at Neretva Vallis, with the specific sample referred to as Sapphire Canyon.
• Researchers stress that abiotic processes could also explain the signatures, so rover data alone cannot confirm a biological origin.
• The Mars Sample Return architecture remains under review, with options under discussion including an ESA-led lander retrieval or a future crewed pickup, and a decision expected by late 2026.