Search for life on Mars takes major leap forward. Scientists detect longest organic molecules on planet to date
NASA scientists have discovered the largest organic molecules found to date on Mars using the Curiosity rover. These long-chain alkanes, found in 3.7-billion-year-old rocks, suggest that the conditions necessary for life may have been preserved on the planet.
Why it matters
The discovery provides significant evidence that Mars may have once hosted the chemical building blocks required for life.
The search for signs of life on Mars is one of the most exciting fields in planetary science.
No other planet has been visited by humanity's robotic rovers and spacecraft to the extent that Mars has.
These autonomous explorers are giving scientists new views of the Red Plane, discovering evidence of ancient lakes and river beds that hint at Mars's warmer, wetter past.
In March 2025, NASA announced that a team of scientists made an exciting discovery analysing rock that had been pulverised for study by its Curiosity rover .
These are the largest organic compounds on the Red Planet to date.
The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and led by Caroline Freissinet, a specialist in astrochemistry and a researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research.
We found large organic molecules composed of 10, 11 and 12 atoms of carbon.
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