Imagine a secret colony of talking creatures inhabiting Saturn or purple and rose-coloured aliens living on Jupiter. Whether life exists beyond Earth is one of the most intriguing and debated topics in science, and a recent discovery on Mars might answer the debate. A discovery in July of 2024, conducted by NASA scientists, uncovered a vein-filled rock on Mars that featured chemical signatures and structures that could have been formed by microbial life billions of years ago. This discovery suggests that there is a high possibility that life once inhabited Mars.
In its search for ancient microbial life, the mission has focused on rocks that could be energy sources for microbes. This is how the scientists uncovered the vein- filled rock, also known as “Chevaya Falls.” On the length of the rock are large calcium sulfate veins, and between the veins are red bands of material, which suggests the presence of hemiate, one of the minerals that gives Mars its reddish colour. When the scientist took a closer look at the red regions, they discovered many irregularly shaped millimeter sized white splotches, ringed with black material. The scientists determined that the black halos contain both iron and phosphate. “These spots are a big surprise,” said David Flannery, an astrobiologist and member of the Perseverance science team from the Queensland University of Technology in Australia. “On Earth, these types of features in rocks are often associated with the fossilized record of microbes living in the subsurface.” What this discovery means is that there could be microbes present on Mars, due to the “spots” on the rocks indicating that a chemical reaction was involved to turn the hematite from red to white. The reactions release iron and phosphate, which is what most likely caused the black rings to form. Reactions like this can be an energy source for microbes, which only strengthens that there could be life on Mars.
NASA scientists have many scenarios that they are considering after finding Chevaya Falls. One of which is that “Cheyava Falls was initially deposited as mud with organic compounds mixed in that eventually cemented into rock, and later, a second episode of fluid flow penetrated fissures in the rock, enabling mineral deposits that created the large white calcium sulfate veins seen today and resulting in the spots.” as stated by Karen Fox and Erin Morton, News Media staff for NASA. Although this is only a theory, Chevaya falls was most likely created in a similar way.
The discovery of Chevaya falls is groundbreaking, but it has still caused debate. Some people believe that even though the conditions may be habitable for microbes, or contain energy sources for them, habitable conditions don’t necessarily indicate life. However, identifying locations where microbial life could exist on Mars brings scientists closer to understanding the true composition of the Red Planet’s atmosphere and finding alien life.
As we gather new information from discoveries and get more advanced technologies, we are very close to uncovering new life. All these discoveries the researchers are making are supporting the fact that Mars could sustain life. In the next 50 years, it seems achievable and realistic for us to have discovered five new species, if these scientific trends hold up.