Traces of life? – Longest organic molecules discovered on Mars to date
The conditions for the emergence of life on the Red Planet were probably even better than assumed. This is indicated by molecules that have now been discovered.
Presentation of the discovered organic compounds
(Image: NASA/Dan Gallagher)
NASA's Curiosity rover has detected the longest organic compounds on Mars to date, providing further evidence that prebiotic chemistry there was more advanced than assumed. This was announced by the US space agency, which explained that the compounds were decane, undecane and dodecane. The research group assumes that these are remnants of fatty acids that can be produced by living organisms, but also inorganically.
According to the report, the compounds were detected in a sample that Curiosity took almost 12 years ago from a location that resembles an old river bed. When a search for amino acids was carried out on board Curiosity, small amounts of decane, undecane and dodecane were detected, the research group writes. It was then assumed that these were remnants of the fatty acids undecanoic acid, dodecanoic acid and tridecanoic acid.
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To verify this, experiments were carried out in the laboratory in which the conditions on Mars were recreated as accurately as possible. As predicted, undecanoic acid left behind decane under these conditions. Curiosity cannot detect the fatty acids themselves, but the find suggests that it has discovered them. The research group also points out that non-biological processes would normally produce fatty acids with shorter carbon chains than those now discovered on Mars.
Favorable conditions for the emergence of life
The discovery once again indicates that the conditions on Mars may once have been favorable for the development of life. Ultimately, however, there is a limit to what can be detected with remote-controlled instruments on Mars, the team points out. They are now ready to examine samples from Mars on Earth. The discovery not only points to a more complex chemistry, but also shows that traces of it may have survived over time. The discovery is presented in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
(mho)
