Was there life on Mars? A Martian meteorite that fell on Earth could help us find out

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Although we usually do not know, the truth is that pieces of Mars have impacted on Earth in form of meteorsone was which contained a great diversity of organic compoundssome of which are related to the origin of life.

An international team of researchers led by Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin of the Technical University of Munich and Helmholtz Munich discovered that Tissint Martian meteoritewhich impacted our planet, contains a huge diversity of organic compounds.

As explained in the investigation, Tissint, which crashed in Morocco more than 11 years ago, is one of five Martian meteorites that have been observed falling to Earth. Pieces were found scattered in the desert about 50 kilometers from the city that gives it its name. Martian rock formed hundreds of millions of years ago years on our planetary next-door neighbor and was thrown into space by a violent event.

By studying one of the samples that could be recovered on Earth, scientists sought to unravel the origin of the organic compounds of the meteorite Tissint can help scientists understand if the Red Planet ever hosted lifeas well as the geological history of the Earth.

“Even though life arose and thrived on our home planet, the question of whether it ever existed on Mars It is a very hot research topic that requires a deeper knowledge of waterthe organic molecules and the reactive surfaces of our neighboring planet”, explained Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin, lead author of the research.

organic compounds

The organic molecules found contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and sometimes other elements. The researchers were able to further analyze the organic inventory of the meteorite, revealing a link between the type and diversity of organic molecules and a specific mineralogy.

The efforts of the scientists resulted in the most complete catalog ever done on diversity of organic compounds found in a Martian meteorite or in a sample collected and analyzed by a rover.

“Understanding the processes and sequence of events that shaped this rich organic abundance will reveal new details about the habitability of mars and potentially on the reactions that could lead to the formation of life,” added Steele.

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