Vein-filled rock on Mars could reveal signs of ancient life on Red Planet

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said that its Perseverance rover found a rock that has some indications it may have hosted microbial life billions of years ago. Scientists are fascinated by the vein-filled rock, however, they said that further research is required.

The team of scientists have nicknamed the arrowhead-shaped rock "Cheyava Falls", which has intriguing characteristics that could help answer the question of whether or not microscopic life once resided on Mars.

The rover used its SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals) instrument to do multiple scans of Cheyava Falls.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The scans indicate it contains organic compounds. While such carbon-based molecules are considered the building blocks of life, they also can be formed by non-biological processes.

NASA said in its report that analysis of the rock by instruments aboard the rover indicates that it possesses qualities that "fit the definition of a possible indicator of ancient life".

The rock shows structures and chemical traces that may have been created by life billions of years ago.

NASA said that the rock, which is the rover's 22nd rock core sample, was collected on July 21 when the rover was exploring the northern edge of Neretva Vallis, which is an ancient river valley 400 metreswide that was carved by water rushing into Jezero Crater long ago.

As quoted by NASA, Nicola Fox, who is an associate administrator, at the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, "We have designed the route for Perseverance to ensure that it goes to areas with the potential for interesting scientific samples. This trip through the Neretva Vallis riverbed paid off as we found something we've never seen before, which will give our scientists so much to study."

Watch:Gravitas: Mysterious dark oxygen found on ocean floor

Ken Farley, who is a Perseverance project scientist at Caltech in Pasadena, said as quoted by NASA: "Cheyava Falls is the most puzzling, complex, and potentially important rock yet investigated by Perseverance."

"On the one hand, we have our first compelling detection of organic material, distinctive colorful spots indicative of chemical reactions that microbial life could use as an energy source, and clear evidence that water — necessary for life — once passed through the rock. On the other hand, we have been unable to determine exactly how the rock formed and to what extent nearby rocks may have heated Cheyava Falls and contributed to these features," Farley added.

(With inputs from agencies)