Mars Curiosity team doubts report of microbial life spotted in photo
An outside researcher and microbial expert made headlines recently with claims that a photo by Mars Curiosity rover had strong signs of former microbial life, but the Curiosity team says they doubt that that is the case.
Dr. Nora Noffke, a geobiologist and associate professor at Old Dominion University, told the Science Recorder in an interview that she was participating in a workshop organized by NASA this spring where she gave a discussion on microbially induced sedimentary structures [MISS], and then later browsed photos of Mars taken by the rover “for fun.” She stumbled across a photo with intriguing telltale signs of former microbial life similar to what was found on Earth.
One particular image, taken of a rock at Gillsepie Lake on Mars, “reminded me of polygons formed by microbial mats in very shallow pools that dry out during the summer months,” she said. However, she stressed that it was a hypothesis that could only be confirmed by physically examining the rock itself.
Mission project scientist Ashwin Vasavada of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California said that while the Curiosity team also noticed the structures on the rock, which included domes, cracks, and pockets, probably weren’t the cause of ancient microbial life, according to a Discovery News report.
Vasavada said that he didn’t think there was anything in the photo that couldn’t be explained by the natural process of water transporting sand, and the rock was probably just a fluvial sandstone.
He added that there are members of the team who look out for such biological signs, but they didn’t see any reason to further explore that site.
However, he noted that he welcomes analyses from outside researchers such as Noffke.
The Curiosity rover has tools to more closely an examine a geological feature of interest. The rover has a Hand Lens Imager to take up-close photos, as well as a drill that could deliver material to the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument, which is able to detect organic molecules.
The team did decide to drill in one area nearby into a layer of mudstone called Sheepbed, where they determined that Yellowknife Bay could have supported microbes at one point in the past — about 3.5 billion years ago.
The Mars Curiosity rover has been operational since August 2012 when it landed in Mars’ Gale Crater. It spent about a year in Yellowknife Bay before heading toward its ultimate destination, Mount Sharp. It reached the mountain’s base in September.
Space Reporter Staff
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