The molecules are associated with life but can be created by other processes. So they aren't proof there was life there, but they are life's building blocks.
One of the biggest aims of Mars research right now is trying to figure out if life ever existed on Mars. Given how dry and inhospitable Mars is today, scientists are pretty certain that there’s nothing living there currently. But millions of years ago, Mars could have looked a lot more like Earth, with plentiful surface water in rivers and lakes.
Organic molecules are rich in carbon and are typically associated with living things, being either created by or used by them. However, they aren’t only produced by life — they can also be produced by other natural processes such as geology. So finding these molecules on Mars suggests that there could have once been microbial life there, but the source could also be from something else.
Recommended Videos This is tricky because we’re working from the only example of a habitable planet we know of: Earth. And indicators of past life can depend strongly on the types of rocks in the environment. “Everything we know of life on Earth is limited to what is preserved in the rock-mineral record,” Murphy said.
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