NASA's Curiosity rover has made a significant discovery by detecting the largest organic molecules on Mars, which may indicate past life. These long-chain carbon molecules, potentially fragments of fatty acids, suggest that biological processes could have existed on the planet. Found in a 3.7-billion-year-old rock in Gale Crater, the organic compounds were identified using the rover's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument. Although the search focused on amino acids, the presence of these molecules is almost as exciting for scientists exploring the planet's past.
Curiosity has detected the largest organic molecules ever found on Mars, which are crucial in the search for evidence of past life.
Scientists believe that if life existed on Mars, it was likely microbial; clear evidence of life requires more powerful instruments.
The organic molecules are likely fragments of fatty acids from a 3.7-billion-year-old rock, found in a dried-up lakebed.
Unexpectedly identifying complex long-chain carbon molecules provides significant clues about the possibility of life on Mars.
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