[Rockhounds] Mars: Unexpected Mineral Discovery Hints at Possibility of Ancient Life

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

Has there ever been life on Mars? Scientists have pondered this question
for years, and a recent discovery suggests it just might be possible!

NASA's Perseverance rover, which has been exploring Mars since 2021, fired
its laser at some oddly pale rocks on the surface of the Red Planet—and
found evidence that Mars may have once been warm, wet and possibly even
suitable for life.

"We have known for a long time that Mars had lakes and rivers, but many
people suspect that temperatures were still quite cold, given Mars'
distance from the sun," geologist professor Roger Wiens of Indiana's Purdue
University told *Newsweek*.

In their study, Wiens and colleagues detail how they used Perseverance's
laser-equipped SuperCam to analyze small white pebbles and larger rocks
scattered across the Martian surface.

These rocks turned out to contain a mineral called kaolinite, which on
Earth forms in warm, rainy environments or near hot springs—places that are
ideal for life.

https://www.newsweek.com/minerals-mars-ancient-life-kaolinite-nasa-rover-2040598