Organic matter found on Mars

July 15, 2023

A new study using data from NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has found potential evidence of organic molecules on Mars, indicating a complex organic geochemical cycle and the possibility of prolonged habitability.
Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) instrument on rover was used to detect organic molecules in Jezero Crater.
- Jezero crater is an ancient lake basin site which has potential for discovering evidence of past life in Mars.
SHERLOC employs deep ultraviolet Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy to simultaneously measure weak Raman scattering and strong fluorescence emissions, providing crucial insights into the organic composition of Mars.
SHERLOC, operates day or night, uses ultraviolet laser light to search for organics and minerals.
It helps in determining which compounds exist in a sample.