Mars surface exists organic matter

Scientists claim that in the soil of Mars there is a carbon-rich organic molecule capable of forming life. This statement is a challenge to the view that Mars is a barren planet.

The Viking ship's landing on Mars in 1976. (Photo: CE).

In 1976, when the Viking ship of the US Aeronautics Agency (NASA) landed and took the soil samples of Mars, scientists still had not discovered any organisms and source-rich organic molecules. carbon. However, by 2008 when Phoenix discovered perchlorate salts (perclorite acid HClO ₄ salts) in the polar regions of Mars, scientists decided to study the Martian soil again.

A group of scientists from Mexico's National Autonomous University (UNAM) arrived in Chile's Atacama Desert, which is considered a geological feature very similar to the geology of Mars. When the scientists mixed soil samples from Atacama meteorite with perclorate salt and then heated, they discovered that they released CO2. At the same time, traces of dichloromethane and chloromethane were found.

Scientists also discovered that these chemical reactions also destroy organic molecules in the Martian soil. Rafael Navarro Gonzalez, a UNAM expert, who led the study, said: ' Our research has shown that the soil samples taken by the Viking from Mars more than 30 years ago are not just organic substances. but also has perchlorate salts '.

Although the results of this study surprised many people, the researchers still claim that asserting that life exists on the surface of Mars at this time is too early.

The Atacama Desert in the land is said to have similar characteristics to the Martian geology. (Photo: CE).

Chris McKay, of NASA's Ames Research Center, said: ' This cannot be a proof to confirm whether Mars exists in life. However, this is certainly a big step forward in our research on life on Mars . '

McKay explains that Mars' organic matter molecules may come from Mars-like organisms may also be of non-living origin . Many meteorites falling on Earth also carry many different types of organic substances. And now, scientists have not yet identified the organic molecules found to be of Mars or the meteorite that hit the planet to bring it to this planet.

Perchlorate salts found may have existed for billions of years on Mars. When the Viking ship obtained soil samples containing organic mixtures of perchlorate, when the scientist mistakenly assumed that this was the result of the cleaning fluid of the probe, it was contaminated on Mars.

As planned, in 2011, NASA will launch the Mars probe named MSL (Mars Science Laboratory) to search for organic molecules as well as discover a variety of mystery of the red planet.