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That doesn\u2019t mean Cheyava Falls is a definite sign of life. But it was enough to make Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, who is currently serving as Acting Administrator of NASA, call the discovery \u201cthe closest we have ever come to discovering [ancient] life on Mars.\u201d<\/p>\n
The finding marks a big step forward in a lengthy process, one that could possibly end in the discovery that life has existed beyond Earth \u2014 and that it is common enough to have inhabited our neighboring planet.<\/p>\n
On July 21, 2024, NASA\u2019s\u00a0Perseverance rover spotted a strange rock partially buried in a dry riverbed. White streaks hinted water once flowed through the stone, and Perseverance also found signs of organic molecules, the building blocks of life. But what really stood out was a smattering of dark and bright spots along the rock\u2019s surface. On Earth, such \u201cleopard spots\u201d are mainly known to form in two ways: from microbes, or through chemical reactions that can provide fuel for life.<\/p>\n
Scientists were intrigued. Even if Cheyava Falls wasn\u2019t marked by life, it was still the first single place on Mars to show signs of once hosting all three of life\u2019s\u00a0main ingredients: liquid water, organic molecules, and an energy source. Billions of years ago, this rock could have met all the conditions life needs to thrive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n