Video Credit- LBC, YouTube 2024
In what is an astounding find, a combination of water, calcium sulfate and evidence of chemical reactions have been discovered in a rock on Mars.
Calcium Sulfate and spotting was found on a rock on Mars that has been the subject of surveillance for some time now. The rock in question is called "Cheyava Falls" and this rock shows evidence of potential chemical reactions and water that could have provided for microbial growth.
Evidence of microbial life has been located before, and Magnesium has been found on the surface which could indicate life was supported and propagated on the Red Planet. So far, this evidence shows that it is possible evidence for life exists on Mars that can be observed in chemical traces and similar to evidence of life observed on Earth. Life may have had a common origin on both Earth and Mars, or life may have come from another source brought there by meteorites or asteroids.
I am excited to see this development. Curiosity and Perseverance cost NASA $5 billion and to fully investigate the samples will require taking them back to Earth for laboratory study. The next step is to invest more into the instruments that the next generation rovers must have and to bring samples from this find to Earth. NASA did a great job with this find and their investments, and it's likely that a lot more evidence of life will be uncovered soon.
Read more about this find in the Popular Mechanics article below:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a61729352/perseverance-mars-microbial-life/