NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance has detected the strongest signs yet of potential ancient life on the Red Planet. In 2024, the rover analysed a rock named Cheyava Falls and found clay, silt, organic carbon, sulphur, oxidised iron, and phosphorus—elements often linked to microbial activity on Earth.
Scientists say these features may represent biosignatures, or indicators of past life. However, they could also have formed through non-biological processes, leaving the evidence inconclusive.
NASA stressed the findings are not definitive proof of life. The Cheyava Falls rock, along with over 30 other collected samples, will undergo further study when returned to Earth in a future mission. Despite budget and logistical hurdles, researchers believe these samples could transform our understanding of Mars and the possibility of life beyond Earth.
