NASA’s “Perseverance” rover has made another interesting discovery on Mars. It found unusual rocks with markings resembling “spots on a leopard’s fur” in the bed of an ancient river on the surface of the Red Planet. Researchers do not rule out that these rocks may contain traces of life, bbc.com reported.
The minerals found in these rocks were formed as a result of specific chemical reactions. According to scientists, these reactions could have occurred with the participation of ancient biological activity — that is, microbes. However, they note that this is not yet definitive evidence, but it opens the door for further research.
“If we had seen such marks on Earth, we would have interpreted them as results of microbial activity,” said Professor Sanjeev Gupta of Imperial College London, one of the authors of the study. “This does not mean that we have found life, but it is an important step toward its discovery,” he added.
The Perseverance rover analyzed the rocks using its onboard laboratory instruments and transmitted the data to experts on Earth. However, this information is not sufficient — to draw a definitive conclusion about the existence of life, the samples need to be brought back from Mars to Earth.
NASA and ESA intend to carry out a mission to return these samples, but the project remains uncertain. The reason is the reduction in the U.S. federal budget. It is reported that due to major funding cuts proposed for 2026, the mission could be canceled.
At the same time, scientists have also studied the possibility that such minerals could have formed without microbes — as a result of natural geological processes. However, these processes may follow patterns similar to those of biological reactions.
This finding, regarded as one of the most serious indications of possible life on Mars in recent times, could pave the way for future scientific expeditions. It may become a turning point in humanity’s quest to find life among the planets.
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