Billions of years ago, Mars may have been a vastly different world, and scientists using the Perseverance rover are continuing to reveal the Red Planet’s ancient secrets. A recent study published in the journal AGU Advances reports that rock samples collected from Jezero Crater on Mars may be older than the earliest evidence of life on Earth. These rocks contain minerals typically formed in water, leading scientists to speculate that they might hold the remnants of ancient Martian life, according to Interesting Engineering. The Perseverance rover gathered seven rock samples from the western flank of Jezero Crater. Scientists analyzed images captured by the rover and chemical data from the samples to identify the minerals present. Locations in Jezero Crater where the rover collected rock samples. Credit: NASA The analysis revealed that the rocks contain water-formed minerals, indicating that they were likely deposited in an aquatic environment. Among the discoveries were carbonates, which form in sediments when water is present. On Earth, carbonates are known to build reefs and are considered ideal for preserving microbial fossils. The findings confirmed that the rocks indeed bear traces of water, suggesting that Jezero Crater was once a habitable environment. This supports the hypothesis that the crater once hosted a large, liquid-water lake. While the duration of the lake’s existence remains uncertain, it likely provided conditions conducive to the potential emergence of life. The rocks found on Mars suggest that the Red Planet had habitable conditions for at least some period of time. However, the rover’s instruments did not detect clear evidence of organic matter—the fundamental building blocks of life—in the rock samples. While organic matter is often linked to life, it can also form through geological processes. Nevertheless, scientists believe that these mineral-rich rocks offer the best chance for detecting signs of ancient Martian life. When these samples are returned to Earth by the Mars Sample Return mission in the next decade, more detailed analyses will be possible. Researchers also propose that these Martian rocks could be older than the earliest signs of life on Earth, potentially dating back to around 3.5 billion years ago, when they may have been deposited in an ancient lake. The study’s authors suggest that these are the oldest rocks ever found that could have formed in an aquatic environment, possibly containing fossils or traces of ancient microorganisms. In addition to carbonates, the rock samples also contained sulfates, indicating the presence of highly salty water in Jezero Crater at some point. If the entire lake was salty, it would have been inhospitable to life. However, if only the bottom layer was salty, it could have helped preserve remains from the less salty upper layers as they sank to the bottom. The post Conditions for Life on Mars May Have Existed Earlier Than on Earth appeared first on Anomalien.com.