NASA’s Perseverance rover recently showed mineral splotches known as “leopard spots”. While there isn’t a way to know for certain just yet, these spots may be evidence of the existence of microbes on the Red planet. Other theories exist, like the development of olivine crystals. Either way, we’re eager to learn more about possible life on Mars. via Science

Running through the rock are white veins of calcium sulfate—minerals that precipitate out of water. Scans by a rover instrument also indicate the rock contains organic compounds. Such carbon-bearing molecules are essential building blocks of life, but they can also be formed by nonbiological processes. Perhaps most intriguing were mineral “leopard spots” in the rock, millimeter-size whitish splotches ringed by black material, which seem to contain iron and phosphate. On Earth, such spotting can form when organic molecules react with hematite, or rusted iron. These reactions, in turn, can fuel microbial life.

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