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- NASA\u2019s Curiosity rover<\/strong> has found the most diverse collection of organic molecules ever seen on Mars. The rover found them in a rock called Mary Anning, which it first drilled in 2020.<\/li>\n
- The organics include seven new carbon-bearing molecules<\/strong> that scientists had never seen before on Mars.<\/li>\n
- The new organics add to the evidence<\/strong> that Mars had the right chemistry to support life in the ancient past.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Most diverse organic molecules on Mars<\/h3>\n
Both the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers have found an abundance of organic molecules on Mars in recent years. And now Curiosity has identified the most diverse collection of organic molecules on Mars yet, including organics that scientists had not seen on the red planet before. NASA said on April 21, 2026, that pinpointing them took years of lab work, both in Curiosity\u2019s onboard laboratory and in comparison studies back on Earth. Overall, the rover found 21 carbon-bearing molecules in a rock it first sampled in 2020. Seven of those molecules are new discoveries on Mars.<\/p>\n
It isn\u2019t known if any of the organics are related to ancient life. But the scientists said they add to the evidence that Mars had the right chemistry to support life.<\/p>\n
Notably, rocks that had been exposed to harsh ultraviolet radiation for billions of years were still able to preserve the organics. <\/p>\n
The researchers published the tantalizing peer-reviewed results in Nature Communications<\/em> on April 21, 2026.<\/p>\n
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NASA\u2019s Curiosity Finds Organic Molecules Never Seen Before on Marswww.nasa.gov\/missions\/mar\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2014 HiRISE Beautiful Mars (NASA) (@uahirise.bsky.social) 2026-04-21T21:25:34.798Z<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Mary Anning 3<\/h3>\n
Curiosity found the diverse collection of organics in a drill sample nicknamed Mary Anning 3. It\u2019s one of three holes that the rover drilled in the same rock. The other two holes are named Mary Anning and Groken. (A nearby spot named Mary Anning 2 is one that Curiosity never drilled.) Mary Anning is the name of an early 19th-century English fossil collector and paleontologist.<\/p>\n
The rock is on a part of Mount Sharp in Gale Crater where lakes and flowing rivers once existed. The area is rich in clay minerals, which are ideal for preserving organic molecules.<\/p>\n
The most interesting organics<\/h3>\n
One of the most interesting organic molecules researchers found is nitrogen heterocycle. It\u2019s a ring of carbon atoms including nitrogen. These molecules are predecessors to both DNA and RNA. Lead author Amy Williams at the University of Florida in Gainesville said:<\/p>\n
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That detection is pretty profound because these structures can be chemical precursors to more complex nitrogen-bearing molecules. Nitrogen heterorcycles have never been found before on the Martian surface or confirmed in Martian meteorites.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Curiosity also found benzothiophene, a carbon- and sulfur-bearing molecule that\u2019s been found in many meteorites. Such molecules might have seeded prebiotic chemistry across the early solar system.<\/p>\n
Curiosity project scientist Ashwin Vasavada at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California said:<\/p>\n
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This is Curiosity and our team at their best. It took dozens of scientists and engineers to locate this site, drill the sample, and make these discoveries with our awesome robot. This collection of organic molecules once again increases the prospect that Mars offered a home for life in the ancient past.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
![\"Flattish](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2026\/04\/Curiosity-rover-Mary-Anning3-Mars-October-25-2020jpg.jpg\")
View larger. | This is the rock Mary Anning. The sample with the diverse organic molecules came from drill hole Mary Anning 3. Image via NASA\/ JPL-Caltech\/ MSSS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n ![\"Smiling](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2026\/04\/Amy-Williams-University-of-Florida.jpg\")
Amy Williams at the University of Florida is the lead author of the new study about organics on Mars. Image via University of Florida.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Wet chemistry reveals organic molecules<\/h3>\n
One of the ways Curiosity detects organic molecules is with wet chemistry<\/em>. The minicab inside the rover, called Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM), can drop samples of powdered rock into small cups containing solvent. The chemical reactions that take place can break apart larger molecules. These molecules can be difficult to detect otherwise. There are several cups. Two of them contain the solvent tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH). Those two cups are reserved for the \u201chighest-value\u201d samples. And Mary Anning 3 was the first sample tested in one of those cups.<\/p>\n
As a comparison, the research team also tested the wet chemistry technique back on Earth. They used a piece of the famous Murchison meteorite, which is over 4 billion years old. The results were interesting, indeed. Murchison contains organic molecules, just like the Mary Anning 3 samples. When the scientists exposed the meteorite sample to the TMAH solvent, the larger molecules broke down into smaller ones. These included some of the organics found in Mary Anning 3, including benzothiophene.<\/p>\n
This similar breakdown of organics shows that the organic molecules in Mary Anning 3 could indeed have resulted from the breakdown of more complex organic molecules.<\/p>\n
![\"Mars](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2025\/03\/organic-molecules-decane-undecane-dodecane-Curiosity-rover-Mars-March-24-2025.jpg\")
View larger. | Graphic depicting the long-chain organic molecules decane, undecane and dodecane. NASA reported their discovery by Curiosity last year. Image via NASA\/ Dan Gallagher.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Largest organic molecules on Mars<\/h3>\n
The new findings by Curiosity also complement the announcement last year of the largest organic molecules ever found on Mars. Curiosity made that discovery as well.<\/p>\n
But determining that for sure (or not) will likely require the samples the rover took to be brought back to Earth for closer study.<\/p>\n
Those molecules included the long-chain hydrocarbons decane, undecane and dodecane. Scientists think they are the remains of fatty acids. And they are the most complex organics yet found on Mars. Plus, last February, NASA scientists said that these organics are hard to explain without biology:<\/p>\n
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As the non-biological sources they considered could not fully explain the abundance of organic compounds, it is therefore reasonable to hypothesize that living things could have formed them.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
![\"Brownish](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/07\/leopard-spots-Chevaya-Falls-Perseverance-Mars-July-2024-1.png\")
View larger. | Perseverance found this rock \u2013 nicknamed Cheyava Falls \u2013 on Mars in July 2024. The leopard spots<\/em> are the small irregular whitish spots with black edges. The poppy seeds<\/em> are the smaller dark dots. NASA said they may be evidence for microbial life on Mars billions of years ago. Image via NASA\/ JPL-Caltech\/ MSSS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Leopard spots and poppy seeds<\/h3>\n
The findings also come after the Perseverance rover, in Jezero Crater, found intriguing leopard spots<\/em> and poppy seeds<\/em> in rocks. First announced in 2024, the chemical signatures of the markings suggest they might be traces of ancient microbial life.<\/p>\n
Bottom line: NASA\u2019s Curiosity rover has identified the most diverse collection of organic molecules on Mars ever found. They include some organics never seen before.<\/p>\n
Source: Diverse organic molecules on Mars revealed by the first SAM TMAH experiment<\/p>\n
Via NASA<\/p>\n
Read more: NASA says organics on Mars are hard to explain without life<\/p>\n
Read more: Surprisingly big organic molecules on Mars: A hint of life?<\/p>\n
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\n - The organics include seven new carbon-bearing molecules<\/strong> that scientists had never seen before on Mars.<\/li>\n