NASA‘s Curiosity mission has found so many simple carbon-based molecules on Mars over the years that the discoveries may now seem altogether routine.
Scientists know those ingredients matter because life on Earth depends on carbon, but the discoveries have often felt limited, like finding a few breadcrumbs without the loaf.
Now a new lab result from the rover suggests those earlier “crumbs” may have been fragments of something bigger: much more complex carbon material. That means a record of the planet’s ancient, long-gone chemistry is locked inside Martian rocks, and scientists have a way to tap into it.
Curiosity ran a unique experiment on a rock sample it collected six years ago, using a special chemical and heat. The technique revealed 21 different organic molecules, the largest set found on the Red Planet so far, said Charles Malespin, the space agency’s lead scientist for the rover’s chemistry lab.
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