New study reveals evidence of diverse organic material on Mars

Date:
July 12, 2023
Source:
University of Florida
Summary:
Scientists gain vital insights into Mars' history and potential
for supporting life.


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FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new study featuring data from the NASA Mars Perseverance rover has
presented compelling evidence for organic material on the Martian surface, shedding light on the potential habitability of the Red Planet. The
research, led by a team of scientists that includes UF astrobiologist
Amy Williams, was recently published in the journal Nature.

Scientists have long been fueled by the possibility of finding organic
carbon on Mars, and while previous missions provided valuable insights,
the latest research introduces a new line of evidence that adds to our understanding of Mars. The findings indicate the presence of a more
intricate organic geochemical cycle on Mars than previously understood, suggesting the existence of several distinct reservoirs of potential
organic compounds.

Notably, the study detected signals consistent with molecules linked to
aqueous processes, indicating that water may have played a key role in
the diverse range of organic matter on Mars. The key building blocks
necessary for life may have persisted on Mars for a far more extended
period than previously thought.

Amy Williams, an expert in organic geochemistry, has been at the forefront
of the search for life's building blocks on Mars. As a participating
scientist on the Perseverance mission, Williams' work centers on the
quest for organic matter on the Red Planet. She aims to detect habitable environments, search for potential life materials, and uncover evidence
of past life on Mars.

Eventually, the on-site samples collected by Perseverance will be sent
back to Earth by future missions, but it will be a complex and ambitious process spanning many years.

"The potential detection of several organic carbon species on Mars has implications for understanding the carbon cycle on Mars, and the potential
of the planet to host life throughout its history," said Williams,
an assistant professor in UF's Department of Geological Sciences.

Organic matter can be formed from various processes, not just those
related to life. Geological processes and chemical reactions can also
form organic molecules, and these processes are favored for the origin
of these possible Martian organics. Williams and the team of scientists
will work to further examine the potential sources of these molecules.

Until now, organic carbon had only been detected by the Mars Phoenix
lander and the Mars Curiosity rover by using advanced techniques like
evolved gas analysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The new
study introduces a different technique that also potentially identifies
simple organic compounds on Mars.

The chosen landing site for the rover within Jezero crater offers a high potential for past habitability: As an ancient lake basin, it contains
an array of minerals, including carbonates, clays, and sulfates. These
minerals have the potential to preserve organic materials and possible
signs of ancient life.

"We didn't initially expect to detect these potential organics
signatures in the Jezero crater floor," Williams said, "but their
diversity and distribution in different units of the crater floor now
suggest potentially different fates of carbon across these environments."
The scientists used a first-of-its-kind instrument called the Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and
Chemicals (SHERLOC) to map the distribution of organic molecules and
minerals on rock surfaces. SHERLOC employs deep ultraviolet Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy to simultaneously measure weak Raman scattering
and strong fluorescence emissions, providing crucial insights into the
organic composition of Mars.

The findings mark a significant step forward in our exploration of the
Red Planet, laying the groundwork for future investigations into the possibility of life beyond Earth.

"We are just now scratching the surface of the organic carbon story on
Mars," Williams said, "and it is an exciting time for planetary science!"
* RELATED_TOPICS
o Space_&_Time
# Mars # NASA # Space_Missions # Space_Exploration
# Solar_System # Astronomy # Extrasolar_Planets #
Space_Probes
* RELATED_TERMS
o Planetary_habitability o Phoenix_(spacecraft) o Phobos_(moon)
o Mars o Mars_Exploration_Rover o Extraterrestrial_life o
Exploration_of_Mars o Deimos_(moon)

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Materials provided by University_of_Florida. Original written by Lauren Barnett. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Related Multimedia:
* Mars ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Sunanda Sharma, Ryan D. Roppel, Ashley E. Murphy, Luther W. Beegle,
Rohit
Bhartia, Andrew Steele, Joseph Razzell Hollis, Sandra Siljestro"m,
Francis M. McCubbin, Sanford A. Asher, William J. Abbey, Abigail C.

Allwood, Eve L. Berger, Benjamin L. Bleefeld, Aaron S. Burton,
Sergei V.

Bykov, Emily L. Cardarelli, Pamela G. Conrad, Andrea Corpolongo,
Andrew D. Czaja, Lauren P. DeFlores, Kenneth Edgett, Kenneth
A. Farley, Teresa Fornaro, Allison C. Fox, Marc D. Fries, David
Harker, Keyron Hickman- Lewis, Joshua Huggett, Samara Imbeah, Ryan
S. Jakubek, Linda C. Kah, Carina Lee, Yang Liu, Angela Magee,
Michelle Minitti, Kelsey R. Moore, Alyssa Pascuzzo, Carolina
Rodriguez Sanchez-Vahamonde, Eva L. Scheller, Svetlana Shkolyar,
Kathryn M. Stack, Kim Steadman, Michael Tuite, Kyle Uckert, Alyssa
Werynski, Roger C. Wiens, Amy J. Williams, Katherine Winchell,
Megan R. Kennedy, Anastasia Yanchilina. Diverse organic-mineral
associations in Jezero crater, Mars. Nature, 2023; DOI:
10.1038/s41586- 023-06143-z ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230712124609.htm

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