NASA’s Curiosity probe has discovered organic molecules that had never been detected before on Mars. These discoveries strengthen the evidence that complex chemistry has taken place on the Red Planet. Organic molecules may be related to life, but because they can also form through other processes, they are not considered solid evidence of life on Mars.
According to Nature Astronomy’s statement, the Curiosity team used the SAM device on the vehicle to analyze the samples collected by the vehicle. The purpose of this device is to detect whether there are compounds such as amino acids, which are the building blocks of life, in the collected samples.
Amino acids were not discovered in this study. But ammonia and benzoic acid were found. Benzoic acid occurs naturally in many plants and fruits and was first described by the famous prophet Nostradamus in 1556. Now we have definitive proof that this substance is also found on Mars.
The experiment was conducted in December 2017 on a sample collected months before Bagnold Dunes. Initially, SAM analysis was intended to use drilling samples from the Martian surface. Only nine specimens were collected, so these specimens are of the utmost scientific importance. When it became clear that samples from below the ground were not available due to problems with Curiosity’s drill bit, the team decided to use sand samples instead.
Sand was not expected to be rich in organic molecules as it was subject to erosion over millions of years, so the discovery of some molecules is considered a very exciting development. The study also forms an important basis for future case studies with SAM.
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