What if The Voyager detected organic molecules 7 billion miles away, showing life’s building blocks can exist far in space. Discovery helps scientists understand how common life’s ingredients might be. Know more about Voyager’s mission and findings below.

What if Voyager discovered organic molecules 7 billion miles away?

NASA's Perseverance rover's new findings have suggested that organic molecules, which are considered as a potential indicator of life, are present in great volume and diversity in the rocks at a locale on Mars, where there was the existence of a lake long ago. 
 
The latest evidence was collected using an instrument called SHERLOC which is mounted on the robotic arm of the six-wheeled rover that enables to carry out the analysis of organic molecules and detailed mapping. Researchers have been reporting about the findings of SHERLOC from 10 places on two geological formations on the Jezero crater's floor. 
 
The researchers collected evidence which indicated organic molecules' presence in multiple rock samples, including a few collected which are likely to return to Earth for future analysis. The researchers stated that the discovery of evidence of such organic molecules does not prove about the existence of life in the past or present on Mars, and added that non-biological processes appear as a more likely explanation.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/a-hint-of-life-in-universe-nasa-makes-breakthrough-discovery-of-carbon-molecule-in-space-608984">A hint of life in universe? NASA makes breakthrough discovery of carbon molecule in space</a>

"Organics are the molecular building blocks of life as we know it, but can also be formed from geological processes not directly related to life. We see multiple signals that appear to vary across the formations of the crater floor and in the minerals they are associated with," stated astrobiologist Sunanda Sharma of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, who was also the research's lead author which was published this week in the journal Nature. 
 
Perseverance landed on the Martian surface at Jezero Crater in February 2021 with a mission to look for evidence of ancient life on Mars and collect samples of soil and rock which can be brought back to the Earth. Jezero Crater is an area located in the northern hemisphere of the planet which was once flooded with water and was home to an ancient lake basin.

<h2>Is Mars a hospitable place?</h2>

Mars was not always as inhospitable as it is today, as liquid water was once present on its surface years ago. Scientists have hinted at the existence of microbial life in the Jezero Crater. They claim that river channels spilt over the crater wall and a lake was created more than 3.5 billion years ago. 
 
The researchers were able to detect signals of organic molecules at all 10 places that were studied by SHERLOC (short for Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) on the crater floor. The rocks were created igneous – volcanically.

WATCH |&nbsp;Why is NASA eyeing lunar mining trials within the next decade?

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Study co-author Ryan Roppel, who is a graduate student in chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh, said that the chemical signatures can come from compounds like naphthalene or benzene. 
 
"On Earth, these are quite common in crude oil, which has a biotic origin, but we can also form these synthetically through various chemical reactions," said Roppel. 
 
"The concentrations we've detected are generally low, but we've observed signals associated with organics on nearly every rock we've sampled," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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NASA's Perseverance rover's new findings have suggested that organic molecules, which are considered as a potential indicator of life, are present in great volume and diversity in the rocks at a locale on Mars, where there was the existence of a lake long ago.

NASA's Perseverance rover's new findings have suggested that organic molecules, which are considered as a potential indicator of life, are present in great volume and diversity in the rocks at a locale on Mars, where there was the existence of a lake long ago. The latest evidence was collected using an instrument called SHERLOC which is mounted on the robotic arm of the six-wheeled rover that enables to carry out the analysis of organic molecules and detailed mapping. Researchers have been reporting about the findings of SHERLOC from 10 places on two geological formations on the Jezero crater's floor. The researchers collected evidence which indicated organic molecules' presence in multiple rock samples, including a few collected which are likely to return to Earth for future analysis. The researchers stated that the discovery of evidence of such organic molecules does not prove about the existence of life in the past or present on Mars, and added that non-biological processes appear as a more likely explanation. ALSO READ | A hint of life in universe? NASA makes breakthrough discovery of carbon molecule in space "Organics are the molecular building blocks of life as we know it, but can also be formed from geological processes not directly related to life. We see multiple signals that appear to vary across the formations of the crater floor and in the minerals they are associated with," stated astrobiologist Sunanda Sharma of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, who was also the research's lead author which was published this week in the journal Nature. Perseverance landed on the Martian surface at Jezero Crater in February 2021 with a mission to look for evidence of ancient life on Mars and collect samples of soil and rock which can be brought back to the Earth. Jezero Crater is an area located in the northern hemisphere of the planet which was once flooded with water and was home to an ancient lake basin. Is Mars a hospitable place? Mars was not always as inhospitable as it is today, as liquid water was once present on its surface years ago. Scientists have hinted at the existence of microbial life in the Jezero Crater. They claim that river channels spilt over the crater wall and a lake was created more than 3.5 billion years ago. The researchers were able to detect signals of organic molecules at all 10 places that were studied by SHERLOC (short for Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) on the crater floor. The rocks were created igneous – volcanically. WATCH | Why is NASA eyeing lunar mining trials within the next decade? Study co-author Ryan Roppel, who is a graduate student in chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh, said that the chemical signatures can come from compounds like naphthalene or benzene. "On Earth, these are quite common in crude oil, which has a biotic origin, but we can also form these synthetically through various chemical reactions," said Roppel. "The concentrations we've detected are generally low, but we've observed signals associated with organics on nearly every rock we've sampled," he added. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

NASA rover discovers new evidence of organic molecules on Mars

By instructing NASA's Mars Curiosity rover to mix a sample of Martian dirt with chemical reagents inside a cup, a team of researchers successfully analysed a sample of Martian dirt initially picked up by the rover in March 2017.

According to Inverse, this combination then produced organic molecules that NASA has never discovered on the surface of Mars previously.

While this is an intriguing discovery, it does not prove that carbon-based life existed on Mars&nbsp;surface.

However, it is a step in the right direction.&nbsp;

"This experiment was successful," Maëva Millan, a postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Goddard Spaceflight Center and lead author of a new study published on Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy, said. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasas-curiosity-rover-clicks-rare-shiny-clouds-on-mars-388591">Also read | NASA's Curiosity Rover clicks rare shiny clouds on Mars</a>

Organic molecules are the building blocks of life on Earth, and they might be found elsewhere in the cosmos as well. 
 
The Curiosity rover has already found organic compounds buried in Martian sediments, but the latest discoveries add to the list of organic molecules found on Mars, supporting the argument for past habitability. 
 
The researchers are looking forward to the launch of the European Space Agency's ExoMars mission in 2022, which will collect further samples from Mars.

The Perseverance rover is also gathering samples from the Martian surface, which will be sent to Earth and studied in a laboratory.

All of the many Martian missions contributed to the mystery of Mars' history, including whether or not the Red Planet has ever harboured life and if that life has spawned life on Earth.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

By instructing NASA's Mars Curiosity rover to mix a sample of Martian dirt with chemical reagents inside a cup, a team of researchers successfully analysed a sample of Martian dirt initially picked up by the rover in March 2017.

By instructing NASA's Mars Curiosity rover to mix a sample of Martian dirt with chemical reagents inside a cup, a team of researchers successfully analysed a sample of Martian dirt initially picked up by the rover in March 2017. According to Inverse, this combination then produced organic molecules that NASA has never discovered on the surface of Mars previously. While this is an intriguing discovery, it does not prove that carbon-based life existed on Mars surface. However, it is a step in the right direction. "This experiment was successful," Maëva Millan, a postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Goddard Spaceflight Center and lead author of a new study published on Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy, said. Also read | NASA's Curiosity Rover clicks rare shiny clouds on Mars Organic molecules are the building blocks of life on Earth, and they might be found elsewhere in the cosmos as well. The Curiosity rover has already found organic compounds buried in Martian sediments, but the latest discoveries add to the list of organic molecules found on Mars, supporting the argument for past habitability. The researchers are looking forward to the launch of the European Space Agency's ExoMars mission in 2022, which will collect further samples from Mars. The Perseverance rover is also gathering samples from the Martian surface, which will be sent to Earth and studied in a laboratory. All of the many Martian missions contributed to the mystery of Mars' history, including whether or not the Red Planet has ever harboured life and if that life has spawned life on Earth. (With inputs from agencies)

In a first, NASA's Mars Curiosity rover detects organic molecules on the surface of Red Planet

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