Mars rover carries out chemistry experiment and detects more organic building blocks

NASA's Curiosity used a TMAH chemistry test on Mars and detected more than 20 organic molecules, including compounds not previously confirmed there; scientists say these organics are not definitive proof of past life and could have formed on Mars or arrived on meteorites.

NASA's Curiosity rover carried out a chemistry experiment on Mars that had not been performed on another world. The test used trimethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) in 2020 to break apart organic matter so its components could be analyzed. The team reported detection of more than 20 organic molecules, including benzothiophene and a nitrogen-bearing molecule described as a precursor to DNA. Scientists emphasized these organics are not definitive evidence of past life because they could form on Mars or be delivered by meteorites. Curiosity has been exploring the former lake bed Gale crater since its 2012 landing to study past habitability and preserve clues to Mars' history. Key findings: - Curiosity performed a TMAH experiment in 2020 and had only two TMAH tubes, giving the team limited attempts to run the test. - The experiment detected more than 20 organic molecules, including benzothiophene and a nitrogen-containing compound noted as related to DNA precursors. - Researchers report the organic material appears to have been preserved on the Martian surface for more than three billion years. - Scientists stress that the detected organics are not proof of past life because they can also form abiotically or arrive via meteorites. - The article notes Perseverance has collected samples for a Mars Sample Return campaign, but reports the mission has been effectively canceled by the administration following a congressional vote in January; ESA's Rosalind Franklin rover is scheduled to carry TMAH to Mars in late 2028 and similar chemistry will be included on other planned missions. Summary: The detections reinforce that organic material has been preserved on Mars for over three billion years and add to evidence that Mars was potentially habitable around the time life began on Earth. Next steps reported in the article include further laboratory analyses, future missions that will carry TMAH such as ESA's Rosalind Franklin planned for late 2028, and an uncertain status for large-scale sample-return efforts as described in the report.