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Space
Space
Science
Sharmila Kuthunur

'Poppy seeds' and 'leopard spots' on Mars could hint at ancient microbial life

An image of the rock, showing where the leopard spots and poppy seeds are.

An arrowhead-shaped rock on Mars sporting features that may hint at ancient microbial activity on the Red Planet has left scientists puzzled.

NASA announced in July of last year that the rock, found in Mars' Jezero Crater by the agency's Perseverance rover, held some of the best evidence yet that ancient microbial life may have existed on the Red Planet billions of years ago, when it was significantly wetter than it is today. Earlier this week, scientists involved with the discovery presented their findings publicly for the first time this week at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas, detailing the rock's chemical signatures and structures that continue to offer tantalizing hints of ancient Martian microbial life.

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