New discovery by Curiosity rover on Mars sparks hopes of life on Red Planet
The Curiosity rover is travelling along the lower slopes of Mount Sharp (Mars), a large mountain in the center of Gale Crater on Mars.
Nasa's Curiosity rover has uncovered the Red Planet's largest organic molecules to date, decane, undecane, and dodecane, in a Gale Crater mudstone sample, igniting fresh speculation about ancient Martian life.
In March 2025, scientists analysing data from Curiosity rover's onboard chemistry lab reported these mid-sized hydrocarbons, the biggest organics ever identified on Mars.
Resembling fragments of fatty acids, molecules primarily produced by life on Earth, though also via geologic means, the compounds were preserved in 3.7-billion-year-old rock. Curiosity's instruments couldn't distinguish biological from abiotic origins, prompting a deeper investigation into non-living sources like meteorite impacts.
WHERE IS CURIOSITY ROVER?
The Curiosity rover is currently on Mars, exploring an area called Gale Crater.
The rover is travelling along the lower slopes of Mount Sharp (Mars), a large mountain in the center of Gale Crater. Curiosity has been studying different layers of rock there to understand whether Mars once had conditions suitable for life.
The rover landed on Mars on August 6, 2012, and has been operating for more than a decade — far longer than its original two-year mission plan.
Curiosity’s main job is to study ancient Martian climate and geology, and look for chemical signs that Mars could once support microbial life.
WAS THERE LIFE ON MARS?
Published in Astrobiology, the follow-up research combined lab radiation tests, mathematical models, and rover data to "rewind" 80 million years of surface exposure. This period accounts for cosmic rays degrading organics in the rock.
Results showed pre-exposure levels far exceeding what meteorites or other abiotic processes could deliver, making biological formation a plausible hypothesis.
The team calculated that non-biological inputs, even at peak meteorite flux, fall short of the observed abundances. On Earth, fatty acids form cell membranes, but Mars' harsh radiation destroys such molecules over eons.
"This doesn't prove life, but it's reasonable to hypothesise it contributed," lead researchers noted, stressing the need for breakdown rate studies under Martian conditions.
WHY IS THIS A BIG FIND?
Gale Crater's ancient lakebed, explored since 2012, has yielded diverse organics, from simple methane to complex aromatics. These latest finds bolster Curiosity's legacy ahead of sample-return missions like Mars Sample Return.
While abiotic alternatives persist, the gap between models and data opens the door to microbial life in Mars' wetter past. More lab simulations and Perseverance rover data will refine this tantalising possibility.
Nasa's Curiosity rover has uncovered the Red Planet's largest organic molecules to date, decane, undecane, and dodecane, in a Gale Crater mudstone sample, igniting fresh speculation about ancient Martian life.
In March 2025, scientists analysing data from Curiosity rover's onboard chemistry lab reported these mid-sized hydrocarbons, the biggest organics ever identified on Mars.
Resembling fragments of fatty acids, molecules primarily produced by life on Earth, though also via geologic means, the compounds were preserved in 3.7-billion-year-old rock. Curiosity's instruments couldn't distinguish biological from abiotic origins, prompting a deeper investigation into non-living sources like meteorite impacts.
WHERE IS CURIOSITY ROVER?
The Curiosity rover is currently on Mars, exploring an area called Gale Crater.
The rover is travelling along the lower slopes of Mount Sharp (Mars), a large mountain in the center of Gale Crater. Curiosity has been studying different layers of rock there to understand whether Mars once had conditions suitable for life.
The rover landed on Mars on August 6, 2012, and has been operating for more than a decade — far longer than its original two-year mission plan.
Curiosity’s main job is to study ancient Martian climate and geology, and look for chemical signs that Mars could once support microbial life.
WAS THERE LIFE ON MARS?
Published in Astrobiology, the follow-up research combined lab radiation tests, mathematical models, and rover data to "rewind" 80 million years of surface exposure. This period accounts for cosmic rays degrading organics in the rock.
Results showed pre-exposure levels far exceeding what meteorites or other abiotic processes could deliver, making biological formation a plausible hypothesis.
The team calculated that non-biological inputs, even at peak meteorite flux, fall short of the observed abundances. On Earth, fatty acids form cell membranes, but Mars' harsh radiation destroys such molecules over eons.
"This doesn't prove life, but it's reasonable to hypothesise it contributed," lead researchers noted, stressing the need for breakdown rate studies under Martian conditions.
WHY IS THIS A BIG FIND?
Gale Crater's ancient lakebed, explored since 2012, has yielded diverse organics, from simple methane to complex aromatics. These latest finds bolster Curiosity's legacy ahead of sample-return missions like Mars Sample Return.
While abiotic alternatives persist, the gap between models and data opens the door to microbial life in Mars' wetter past. More lab simulations and Perseverance rover data will refine this tantalising possibility.