NASA: Signs of ancient life on Mars found in Chiava rock

NASA has discovered signs of ancient “microbial life” on Mars, in a rock first explored by the Perseverance rover.

“The arrowhead-shaped Chiava rock has evidence that the Red Planet hosted life billions of years ago,” NASA said Thursday, according to a report in the New York Post.

The rock contains organic compounds that suggest Mars may have harbored microbial life when water flowed on the planet.

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NASA says signs of ancient life on Mars may be hiding in an arrowhead-shaped rock https://t.co/FGFaEQbVwI pic.twitter.com/TYcsQzIvpp

— New York Post (@nypost) July 26, 2024

According to the New York Post, the specimen was found at the northern end of the Neretva Valice, an ancient river valley a quarter-mile wide, carved by water rushing into the Jezero crater long ago.

“We designed the trajectory of Perseverance to make sure it reaches areas with the potential to yield interesting science samples,” said Nicola Fox, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

“This trip down the Neretva Valice River has paid off, as we found something we had never seen before, which will give our scientists a lot to study.”