NASA -Newsheartiness has discovered large organic molecules on Mars, perhaps part of fatty acids

There are currently two American Rover on Mars, NASA -News and NASA -ascended, landed in 2012 and 2021 for the MSL and Mars 2020 missions. While the second continues the collection of the champions and the exploration of the external area of ​​the Jezero crater has found a number Large organic molecules That part can be of fatty acids.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wektnjexgks

Second What is reported by the US Space Agency, this one Organic So far they would have been found the best on Mars and their analysis has been inserted in the study entitled Long chain Alkanes kept in a Martian mud stone. The analyzes took place in the monster analysis at Mars (SAM) on board the Rover Nasa Curiosity The first useful indications give about these molecules.

The molecules in question are linear consisting of 10, 11 and 12 carbon atoms called Decani (C₁₀H₂₂), wherecani (C₁₁H₂₄) E Dodecani (C₁₂H₂₆). For the analyzes, Sam heats the sample twice and analyzes the resulting connections. This is why scientists are not sure what the starting molecules are. The hypotheses indicate that the linear can arise from fatty acids such as theOncanateL ‘Dodonic acid olTidecanic acid. It is fatty acidsMolecules that are used in the development of life on earth and who may also have contributed to the Red Planet.

The reproduction of Sam’s analyzes in the laboratory indicated that fatty acids can actually be the starting connections. As always, the problem is that this type of molecules can be produced, even without the development of life through Other chemical processes And that is why they are not the final confirmation Moor They were present organisms. However, it is an interesting discovery.

Caroline Freissinet (of the French National Center for Scientific Research) said “Our study shows that, even today, by analyzing the Champions of Mars, we could detect chemical signatures of the past if it ever existed on Mars”.

The presence of Complex organic molecules could lead in the future to discover biovirm It can confirm the further Moor There was a microbial life a few million years ago, when the red planet was very different from how we know it now. In this perspective, the Mars Sample Return mission is inserted, which aims for gods Marzian ChampionsCollected by NASA -through, on earth for analysis with the best tools that humanity has.

The researchers were of the opinion that the traces in the rocks analyzed in Storm crater (where he landed NASA -News) would indicate how the latter was rich in liquid water and that it has been millions of years. Quite a long time for the potential development of microbial life on the red planet. Insofar as definitive confirmations are still missing, the new data is added to a series of other previous and future analyzes that will be performed by other missions to have a complete picture of how Moor Could support life in the past.