, a member on NASA's Mars Curiosity mission and an expert in organic geochemistry, can discuss results released this week that on the Red Planet.
As a member of Curiosity's science team, Williams has helped guide the rover to its historic discoveries of organic molecules on Mars. While it remains impossible to tell if these organic molecules stem from ancient life, the findings demonstrate that Curiosity is capable of uncovering evidence of complex molecules on Mars.
“Organics make up life as we know it. These molecules are the largest yet identified by the Curiosity rover team and confirm that more complex organics do survive in the Martian near surface despite the harsh environment. This is exciting for the search for habitable environments and the building blocks for life, as well as the search for ancient life on Mars," Williams said.
Contact Amy Williams at [email protected]
RSS