Nasa rover discovery hints at ancient microbial life on Mars

Nasa’s Perseverance rover took photos on 23 July of a rock nicknamed Cheyava Falls, seen to the left of the rover near the centre of the image. Photograph: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

A spotty, vein-filled rock found by a Nasa rover on Mars contains features that suggest it may have hosted microbial life billions of years ago.

The arrowhead-shaped rock, named Cheyava Falls, was discovered by Nasa’s Perseverance rover on 21 July as it trundled along the northern edge of Neretva Vallis, an ancient river valley carved by water flowing into the red planet’s Jezero crater.