A rock filled with veins has caught the attention of NASA scientists peering through footage from NASA’s Perseverance rover. The rock, which is nicknamed “Chevaya Falls” by the Perseverance team, is an arrowhead-shaped rock that contains some really intriguing traits—most notably what could be proper signs of ancient life on Mars.
Analysis of the rock using instruments onboard Perseverance has shown that it has some unique qualities that fit the bill of what NASA scientists are looking for as indicators of life on the Red Planet. Most notably, it contains chemical signatures that structures that likely could have formed alongside life billions of years ago.
It’s believed that this particular area of Mars was likely covered by running water, which would have allowed the chemicals we’re seeing possible signatures of plenty of opportunity to seep in. Of course, there are also other potential explanations beyond this being signs of ancient life on Mars.
To prove whether or not the chemical signatures are proof of ancient life, the scientists will need to take future research steps to determine how the rock formed—something they haven’t quite pinpointed just yet—and what exactly left these unique patterns behind. Was it really water and ancient life forms?
Or could it have been something else? This is always something that has plagued discoveries on the Red Planet. That and the fact that we haven’t actually had a chance to properly study anything from Mars directly and in person. Perhaps this rock does hold signs of ancient life on Mars.
Or, perhaps it is simply another bit of false hope for scientists hoping to prove that Mars was once a lush paradise more akin to Earth. Hopefully, Chevaya Falls will help provide some answers and finally provide some much-needed reassurance about the chances of life on Mars.
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