Curiosity finds a clue

On 7 June, Nasa announced that the Curiosity rover had discovered organic molecules in three-billion-year-old rocks on Mars, suggesting that the planet could have once been home to life. Organic molecules are tiny particles found in living systems. They contain carbon and hydrogen, and also may include oxygen, nitrogen and other elements. Although they are often associated with living things, organic molecules can be formed by processes that are not connected to creating life, so this new discovery does not prove that life definitely existed on the Red Planet. However, the molecules could have once supported life, possibly as a source of food. The car-sized rover was sent to Mars in 2012 to discover whether the planet is, or ever was, able to sustain life. Mars is, at the moment,…

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The Week Junior (Digital) - 1 Issue, No. 132

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