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NASA Reveals Most Compelling Potential Mars Biosignature in Perseverance Rock Sample

Peer-reviewed analyses identify organics plus iron‑bearing textures from cool ancient waters, with confirmation only possible after sample return to Earth.

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

  • Perseverance’s July 2024 “Sapphire Canyon” sample, drilled from the Cheyava Falls rock in the Bright Angel formation of Neretva Vallis, is detailed in a Nature paper and NASA briefing.
  • Rover instruments SHERLOC and PIXL found organic carbon alongside iron phosphate (vivianite) and iron sulfide (greigite) within micro‑textures described as “leopard spots” and “poppy seeds.”
  • Researchers say these features are consistent with settings that can host microbial activity on Earth, yet non‑biological processes remain plausible and in‑situ data cannot decide between them.
  • Scientists stress that definitive tests require Earth laboratories, but the Mars Sample Return effort faces cost, schedule and political uncertainty, with alternative return options under review and decisions discussed for 2026.
  • Perseverance has secured about 30 sealed samples in Jezero crater, collected from ancient low‑temperature aqueous deposits that are considered favorable for preserving potential biosignatures.