Organic matter found on Mars
Nasa researchers remain unsure of the source of the material

Nasa’s Curiosity rover has discovered complex organic matter in a dried-up lakebed on Mars.
The material was found after the rover drilled into the surface of a 3.5 billion-year-old mudstone at the bottom of the Gale crater.
Researchers have been quick to point out that the discovery does not necessarily mean that there is, or has been, life on the red planet.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
However, CNN says the organic matter “can be one of several things: a record detailing ancient life, a food source for life or something that exists in the place of life”.
“While we don’t know the source of the material, the amazing consistency of the results makes me think we have a slam-dunk signal for organics on Mars,” said Jennifer Eigenbrode, a biogeochemist at Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Centre.
Researchers say they will require further samples that have not been irradiated in order to get a clearer picture of the origin of the organic matter.
In its search for the compounds, the Curiosity rover “only scrapes off the top five centimetres” of stone, however ExoMars's Moma lab which is planned to be launched in 2020 will go down two metres”, the ABC reports.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Following the Tea Horse Road in China
The Week Recommends This network of roads and trails served as vital trading routes
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: March 30, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku hard: March 30, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
We could be living in a black hole
Under the radar And our universe may not be the only one
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Dark energy may not doom the universe, data suggests
Speed Read The dark energy pushing the universe apart appears to be weakening
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Chile's stargazing 'dark skies' are under threat
Under The Radar New chemical plant could spoil celebrated astronomical stronghold
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Life after space: how will Nasa's stranded astronauts cope?
In the Spotlight Sunita 'Suni' Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore are headed back to Earth after nine months on the ISS – but their greatest challenge may still lie ahead
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Killer space rocks
Feature The threat to Earth from a newly discovered asteroid has faded. Others could be headed our way.
By The Week US Published
-
Full moon calendar: dates and times for every full moon this year
In depth When to see the lunar phenomenon every month
By Devika Rao, The Week US Last updated
-
The shape of Earth's core is changing
Under the radar Mysteries remain at the center of the planet
By Devika Rao, The Week US Last updated
-
How worried should we be about asteroids?
Today's Big Question Odds of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth have fluctuated wildly this week
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published