The Jezero crater on arid Mars would have once been a lake, and in it evidence of various organic molecules has been detectedwhich suggests that a more complex geochemical cycle could exist than previously thought.
A study published today Nature Coordinated by the California Institute of Technology (USA), it has studied data from NASA’s Perseverance rover that has been traveling through Jezero for more than two years.
Better understand the presence and distribution of organic matter conserved in the planet’s surface, may provide key information about the Martian carbon cycle and the planet’s potential to host life throughout its history, the study indicates.
Research indicates that Perseverance, in its journey, has detected various types of organic molecules. They had previously been found in various types in Martian meteorites and in Gale Crater.
Among the possible explanations for the origin of these compounds are the interactions between water and rock, or deposits of interplanetary dust and meteorites, although biotic origins have not been ruled outsummarizes the post.