The intriguing chemistry of a rock collected by the Perseverance rover could trace to microbial activity—or not

Since its arrival on the Martian surface five years ago, NASA’s Perseverance rover has been busy scouring the Red Planet for signs of life and evidence of Mars’ watery history. Now, thanks to its continued exploration, NASA might know exactly where to look for evidence of life on Mars, and it all begins with quartz crystals.

NASA’s Perseverance rover found large crystals of quartz with a high purity on Mars, which probably had to have formed in the presence of hot water

Scientists have discovered kaolinite mineral on Mars, providing new evidence that the planet was once warm and wet.