Traces of life on Mars

NASA's probe has detected traces of carbon compounds in rocks and methane gas in the atmosphere of the red planet.

Simulation of the Curiosity rover on the surface of the red planet. Photo: NASA

"We have a major discovery. We have found organic matter on Mars," John Grotzinger, chief scientist of the Curiosity program, said yesterday. Data was collected by NASA's Curiosity rover on rock layers in Gale Crater on Mars.

According to Reuters, this event marks the first time organic matter has been found on the surface of Earth's neighboring planet, opening up opportunities to study the origin of life on the red planet.

Through analysis, scientists also discovered traces of methane in the atmosphere, a gas that is evidence of life on Earth. Chris Webster, a NASA colleague, said this was a big surprise.

However, NASA is currently unable to confirm the origin of methane on Mars. Further studies will focus on determining the organic compounds and the source of this methane, whether it was produced in the past, recently, or formed from geochemical processes.

Previously, data from the probe showed that a large lake once existed on Mars billions of years ago, further strengthening evidence of microbial life on the planet.

The Curiosity rover landed in Mars' Mount Sharp region in August 2012. Soon after, it gathered evidence of the chemical composition and environmental conditions necessary to support microbial life on the red planet.

According to Daily mail