CURIOSITY ROVER OF NASA DISCOVERS INTERESTING CARBON SIGNATURE ON MARS; SEARCH FOR ANCIENT LIFE CONTINUES

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The Curiosity rover of NASA recently discovered a carbon signature in rock samples gathered from Mars' Gale crater. Because carbon on Earth is linked to biological activities, this development might be tremendous. NASA, on the other hand, stated that the discovery does not imply the presence of ancient life on the planet. However, none of the alternatives have been ruled out!

"We're finding some tantalisingly intriguing things on Mars, but we'd need a lot more proof to conclude we've found life." So we're looking at what else, if not life, may have created the carbon signature we're detecting," said Paul Mahaffy, the chief investigator of Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) chemistry lab.

What does the presence of carbon on Mars mean?

Carbon is a necessary component of all life on Earth. However, when it comes to supporting life, Earth and Mars are diametrically opposed. As a result, carbon on Mars could reveal a very different narrative. As a result, NASA scientists looked into samples to see if there were any conceivable explanations for the presence of carbon on Mars. They came up with three possible explanations, two of which support non-biological activities and one of which supports biological processes.

According to one theory, the carbon was produced when ultraviolet light collided with carbon dioxide in the planet's atmosphere. New carbon-containing molecules emerged as a result, gradually settling to the surface.

Another possibility is that our solar system travelled through a massive molecular cloud rich in the type of carbon found millions of years ago. Carbon traces may have been left behind by this once-in-a-lifetime event.

The third theory involves ancient microbes found on Mars' surface. "The data suit all three theories." "All we need now is additional evidence to rule them in or out," said Christopher House, the study's lead author.

What methods were used to investigate the samples?

Curiosity is the first rover on Mars to use specialised sensors to study carbon isotopes. The Tunable Laser Spectrometer (TLS) instrument from the SAM lab was employed in the experiment. The samples were taken from a variety of geologically varied locations within the Gale crater and heated to around 850°C to release the trapped gases.

Surprisingly, the carbon isotopic levels varied greatly across the samples obtained, indicating that the carbon discovered at various locations came from a variety of sources.

The Curiosity crew will continue to investigate carbon isotopes in order to gain a deeper understanding of their occurrence on Mars. "Trying to comprehend how life might fit into the carbon cycle on Mars necessitates defining the carbon cycle." "We've done it successfully on Earth, but we're just getting started on Mars," Curiosity team member Andrew Steele explained.

In the future, some samples from the Perseverance expedition are likely to arrive on Earth. Until then, we'll have to rely on data transmitted from Mars' ingenious rovers that has been remotely analysed.

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