After four years of discoveries and explorations on Mars, Nasa ’s Perseverance Rover has found some unusual rocks on the planet’s surface, hinting at potential past life there. The mudstones were found in a dried-up riverbed in the Jezero Crater, marked with so-called ‘leopard spots’ and ‘poppy seeds’, names given to the unique dots.

Research led by NASA suggests a habitable past on Mars based on the discovery of minerals in Martian rocks associated with life on Earth.

Taking a new look at a very old mudstone on Mars, scientists believe they have found a potential biosignature, indicating that Mars may have once hosted life. In July of 2024, while exploring an old, dried up river bed on the edge of Jezero Crater, NASA's Perseverance rover happened upon an odd-looking rock.

"The idea was for our payload to get us just up to the potential biosignature designation and have the rest of the story told by instruments here on Earth."

Mars’ Jezero Crater holds signs of ancient water and strange mineral reactions, some linked with organic compounds. With Perseverance’s samples and AI-refined mineral maps, scientists are closing in on whether Mars once had the chemistry needed for life.