Short Wave The Most Convincing Evidence Yet Of Life On Mars
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Sep 12, 2025 Hemani Kalucha, a planetary scientist who recently completed her PhD at Caltech, discusses groundbreaking discoveries from NASA’s Perseverance rover, hinting at ancient life on Mars. She details intriguing millimeter-sized spots on Martian rocks in the Jezero Crater that could suggest past microbial existence. The conversation explores the significance of geological evidence and the thrilling prospect of returning samples to Earth for analysis. Kalucha also reflects on the philosophical implications of finding life beyond our planet.
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Organic Sediments And Long-Lived Water
- Curiosity found organic-rich lake sediments, showing Mars once hosted organic material.
- Long-lived water signatures indicate conditions that could support life development over time.
Spots On Rocks As Potential Biosignatures
- Perseverance discovered millimeter-sized spots in an ancient river channel that resemble biosignatures on Earth.
- The spots' shapes, colors, and patterns match features life leaves in terrestrial rock records.
How Microbes Make Rust Spots
- On Earth microbes consume iron-rich material and leave spot-like patterns by 'eating' rust.
- That biological process creates voided, irregular spots similar to those seen by Perseverance.