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Title: NASA Says Mars Rover Discovered Potential Biosignature Last Year

Link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/09/10/1...

NASA: After a year's worth of scientific scrutiny, the 'Sapphire Canyon' rock
sample remains the mission's best candidate for containing signs of ancient
microbial life processes. A sample collected by NASA's Perseverance Mars
rover from an ancient dry riverbed in Jezero Crater could preserve evidence
of ancient microbial life. Taken from a rock named "Cheyava Falls" last year,
the sample, called "Sapphire Canyon," contains potential biosignatures,
according to a paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature. A potential
biosignature is a substance or structure that might have a biological origin
but requires more data or further study before a conclusion can be reached
about the absence or presence of life. "This finding by Perseverance,
launched under President Trump in his first term, is the closest we have ever
come to discovering life on Mars. The identification of a potential
biosignature on the Red Planet is a groundbreaking discovery, and one that
will advance our understanding of Mars," said acting NASA Administrator Sean
Duffy. "NASA's commitment to conducting Gold Standard Science will continue
as we pursue our goal of putting American boots on Mars' rocky soil."

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