Mcb777 CricketNASA makes new discovery on Mars, here's what it is

NASA's Curiosity rover has identified the largest organic compounds ever found on Mars, including decane, undecane, and dodecane, in a 3.7 billion-year-old rock sample. These findings suggest Mars once had the chemical complexity necessary to host life. Dr Caroline Freissinet indicates that these long-chain molecules may have originated from membrane degradation of ancient Martian cells.

Image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

NASA's Curiosity rover has recently made two new discoveries on Mars with both leading to surprising connotations. Firstly, the rover detected the largest organic compounds ever found on the planet and secondly, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has released a new image showcasing the powerful outflow of a forming star.

Largest organic molecules discovered yet on Mars

In the analysis of a rock sample called Cumberland, the rover has identified decane (C10), undecane (C11) and dodecane (C12)- long-chain organic molecules that have been detected on the planet for the first time. These compounds were revealed during an experiment with the rover's onboard Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) laboratory. As per scientists, these molecules are the thermal breakdown products of longer fatty acids such as undecanoic acid, dodecanoic acid and tridecanoic acid.
These compounds were detected in the analysis of a 3.7bn-year-old rock found in Yellowknife Bay, an ancient Martian lakebed that had the necessary ingredients for life on the planet.
These molecules are significant for life on earth where they form cell membranes and aid in other biological functions. While these molecules have non-biological origins such as hydrothermal vents or interactions with water, their complexity suggests the existence of environments that may have hosted life.

“These molecules can be made by chemistry or biology,” said Dr Caroline Freissinet, an analytical chemist who led the research at the Atmospheres and Space Observations Laboratory in Guyancourt, near Paris. “If we have long-chain fatty acids on Mars, those could come – and it’s only one hypothesis – from membrane degradation of cells present 3.7bn years ago.”
Curiosity had already detected simple organic molecules in previous missions, but these were the biggest long-chain ones to be discovered. As revealed in the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, this discovery pushes the boundaries and suggests that Mars once had the chemical complexity to host life.

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