Perseverance rover detects complex organics on Mars as Earth's mantle shows pre‑impact signature

NASA’s Perseverance rover used its SHERLOC instrument to perform non‑destructive Raman and ultraviolet fluorescence analysis of rocks in the Bright Angel formation near Jezero crater. The measurements revealed macromolecular carbon compounds, confirming that key prebiotic chemistry can survive within a few micrometres of the Martian surface despite harsh radiation and oxidizing conditions.

Geologists at MIT, led by Nicole Nie, identified a subtle deficit of the potassium‑40 isotope in ancient rocks from Greenland, Canada and in Hawaiian mantle‑derived lavas. This isotopic anomaly points to fragments of Earth's pre‑giant‑impact mantle that survived the collision that formed the Moon. Computer simulations support the existence of isolated mantle reservoirs that retained this original chemical signature.

Both discoveries reshape understanding of planetary habitability and the early history of Earth and Mars.