Mars rover Perseverance detects abundant macromolecular carbon in Jezero crater

NASA's Perseverance rover has identified hundreds of macromolecular carbon signatures in two sedimentary mudstone rocks from the Bright Angel formation inside Jezero crater. The discovery, reported in Science Advances, represents the strongest organic signal ever measured on Mars' surface and the shallowest detection to date, only a few microns below the surface.

The Raman spectrometer on Perseverance confirmed the presence of complex organic molecules that can form through both biological and abiotic processes. Researchers caution that the finding does not prove past life, but the robust concentration of carbon in fine‑grained sediments suggests preservation within protective minerals, offering new clues to the planet’s habitability billions of years ago.