A fatty acid might be among organic molecules discovered on Mars by NASA’s Curiosity rover.
However, it’s not possible at this stage to determine whether the compound has a biological or non-biological origin.
And contamination could still be responsible for the finding.
The results come from Curiosity’s SAM instrument, and were presented at the 46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) in Texas.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, built the Curiosity rover. The JPL is home to the Spacecraft Assembly Facility, a Class 10,000 ISO 7 cleanroom with horizontal airflow and return.
For the rest of the story, see BBC.com
Related stories
NASA Rover Sees How Water Shaped Martian Landscape http://www.cemag.us/news/2014/12/nasa-rover-sees-how-water-shaped-martian-landscape
NASA’s Curiosity Finds Mineral Match on Mars http://www.cemag.us/news/2014/11/nasas-curiosity-finds-mineral-match-mars
NASA’s Curiosity Rover Arrives at Martian Mountain http://www.cemag.us/news/2014/09/nasas-curiosity-rover-arrives-martian-mountain
Curiosity Snaps a Selfie on Mars http://www.cemag.us/news/2014/06/curiosity-snaps-selfie-mars