Diverse organic molecules on Mars revealed by the first SAM TMAH experiment

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ggeox 3 days ago 13 commentsRead Article on courthousenews.com

FR version is available. Content is displayed in original English for accuracy.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-70656-0

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g8425•2 days ago

Shouldn't this link directly to the paper in question, instead of... Shuffles papers... Courthousenews?

fecal_henge•2 days ago

The paper might contain too much jargon for lawyers.

sandworm101•2 days ago

Given the political climate re science and life, a website run for lawyers might be the safe place to publish. The idea of the US government (via nasa) looking for life elsewhere than earth rubs certain people the wrong way, people with political power.

andrewflnr•2 days ago

I can't follow all the chemistry but this seems like the takeaway, from the Nature paper (open acccess!):

> Regardless, confirmation of macromolecular organic matter supports the possibility that future optimized TMAH thermochemolysis experiments can liberate ancient biosignatures preserved in macromolecules on Mars (if present). The broad structural variety of organic molecules observed in situ from surface materials suggests some chemical diversity is preserved in ancient Martian sediments despite >3.5 billion years of diagenesis and radiation exposure.

Macromolecules, not just "organic" (which, reminder, does not mean "biological"). It seems like you can still get macromolecules abiotically, but it's a little more tantalizing.

dempedempe•1 day ago

The way I see it:

- Water on Mars: confirmed 2004 - Organic molecules on Mars: confirmed 2018 - Complex organic molecules (e.g., DNA precursors) on Mars: 2026

We now know for certain that it is possible for complex organic molecules to be preserved for ~3.5 billion years on the Martian surface.

The big question everyone wants to know is if life ever existed on Mars. Now we know that it's possible for that question to be answer, since we have confirmation of complex organic molecules actually being preserved.

This legitimizes future missions/spending on life searching missions to the Martian surface.

sparky4pro•1 day ago

> This legitimizes future missions/spending on life searching missions to the Martian surface.

How about spending money to get clean drinking water to the whole humanity (and other living creatures) here on earth first?

cucumber3732842•1 day ago

>- Water on Mars: confirmed 2004 - Organic molecules on Mars: confirmed 2018 - Complex organic molecules (e.g., DNA precursors) on Mars: 2026

This. It's been an incredibly steady march from "dead space rock" to "life".

It would be nice to prove or disprove the Viking gas experiments while some of the people who worked on that stuff are still alive.

an0malous•2 days ago

Since there’s no such thing as 100% proof in science, when and who gets to “call it” that the signs of life have been discovered outside of Earth? Presumably NASA, but how do they decide?

sparky4pro•2 days ago

They found molecules on Mars? Great, now we know that Mars is made out of different materials. But we knew that before we sent a lonely Rover over there.

Wake me up if they find ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Without ATP no life.