NASA’s Curiosity Rover just found the best ‘proof of life’ on Mars
- Samples from the Curiosity Rover could prove there is life on Mars
- The samples date back to an extraction by the rover from 2013
- NASA is studying them to see if they prove life existed on the planet
Published on Mar 27, 2025 at 7:25 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Mar 27, 2025 at 9:55 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
NASA’s Curiosity Rover may have just found the strongest proof of life on Mars we’ve seen so far.
The quest for life on Mars started way before the legendary David Bowie song, although sigificant proof has been thin on the ground.
But a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal suggests we might be close to some answers.
The findings owe themselves to Curiosity, which has roamed the Red Planet since the summer of 2012.
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The breakthrough data from the Curiosity Rover goes back to 2013
The possible breakthrough dates back well over a decade – all the way back to 2013.
This was when Curiosity extracted samples from the Yellowknife Bay, a region of the Gale Crater on the planet.
Scientists believe this was once the site of an ancient lake, making it the best place to find possible signs of life.
The bay itself is 3.7 billion years old, and potentially held water for millions of years.
Scientists have named the Rover’s sample Cumberland, and in 2015 they found it had organic molecules.
More recently, work has been done to see if amino acids are in the Cumberland sample.
While no acids were found, they did notice small traces of organic decane, undecane, and dodecane were released as they heated the sample.
The Cumberland sample could prove there is life on Mars
These traces are organic molecules on Earth and are used by living organisms to form cell membranes.
NASA’s research stated that the samples are ‘the largest organic compounds on the Red Planet to date.’
That is possible proof that there was indeed life on the Red Planet.
NASA also stated that the discovery ‘suggests prebiotic chemistry may have advanced further on Mars than previously observed.’
Should that be the case, there’s a chance that life has been preserved over billions of years and can be found.
NASA and its partners are likely to conduct a return mission to the planet.
Curiosity itself has maxed out the tools at its disposal, and more are needed to further advance research.
Should life on Mars be found, it’ll be one of the biggest scientific discoveries in human history.
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Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
