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5d ago

NASA Reports Possible Mars Biosignature in Jezero Crater Rock

Confirmation depends on returning the sealed Sapphire Canyon core to Earth, a goal complicated by cost and schedule risks for Mars Sample Return.

A "selfie" taken by NASA's Perseverance Mars rover, made up of 62 individual images, on July 23, in this image released on September 10, 2025. A rock nicknamed "Cheyava Falls," which has features that may bear on the question of whether the Red Planet was long ago home to microscopic life, is seen to the left of the rover near the center of the image. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY
Image
La roca con las "manchas de leopardo" que podrían ser restos dejados por microbios, según la NASA

Overview

  • Peer‑reviewed results published in Nature describe organic carbon spatially associated with iron‑phosphate (vivianite) and iron‑sulfide (greigite) minerals in Bright Angel deposits of Jezero crater.
  • Perseverance’s PIXL and SHERLOC instruments mapped the chemistry on a rock dubbed Cheyava Falls and guided collection of the Sapphire Canyon core in July 2024.
  • NASA and study authors call the finding a possible biosignature because abiotic processes could produce similar mineral‑organic patterns, and independent scientists urged caution.
  • The Sapphire Canyon tube remains sealed on the rover and is prioritized for return; Perseverance has collected about 30 samples and placed a backup cache on the surface.
  • An independent review cited in coverage projects Mars Sample Return costs near $11 billion with potential delivery slipping toward around 2040, as international interest in returning Martian material grows.