NASA's Curiosity Discovers Largest Organic Molecules on Mars

The rover identified long-chain alkanes in a 3.7-billion-year-old rock, offering new insights into Mars' ancient habitability.

NASA's Curiosity rover detected decane, undecane, and dodecane in a Cumberland mudstone sample from Gale Crater's Yellowknife Bay, marking the largest organic molecules ever found on Mars.
The molecules, potentially fragments of fatty acids, are preserved in a 3.7-billion-year-old rock, dating back to a period when Mars had conditions favorable for life.
The discovery highlights Mars' potential for ancient habitability, with evidence of liquid water and a stable environment in the planet's past.
Scientists emphasize that these molecules could have formed through non-biological processes, meteorite delivery, or ancient Martian biology, though their exact origin remains uncertain.
The findings underscore the importance of future Mars missions, including sample return efforts, to analyze these compounds with advanced Earth-based technology.