NASA just revealed that its Perseverance rover uncovered what could be the most compelling evidence ever found of ancient life on Mars.

The discovery comes from a dry river channel called Neretva Vallis, where the rover drilled into reddish, clay-rich rocks. The rock samples that were collected turned out to contain chemical “fingerprints” that (on Earth) are left behind by tiny microbes as they process organic matter.

To put it plainly: It's possible some form of life once left its mark on these rocks.

Weather in your inbox

Forecast Location

Sign Up

By signing up you agree to the Terms & Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe at any time.

“We put it to our scientific friends to pressure test it, to analyze it, and go 'Did we get this right?'," Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said during a press conference. “They've come back and they said 'Listen, we can't find another explanation," so this very well could be the clearest sign of life that we’ve ever found on Mars, which is incredibly exciting.”

(MORE: Did Ancient Mars Have Weather?)

The Perseverance rover, which has been roaming the Martian surface since 2021, isn’t equipped to directly detect life. Instead, it collects promising rock samples to send back to Earth (more on that in a bit).

The rock in question, part of what NASA calls the Bright Angel formation, showed unusual specks scientists dubbed “leopard spots.”

Experts found those spots included chemical compounds such as iron phosphate and iron sulfide, which are associated with microbial activity on Earth.

Dr. Lindsay Hayes, NASA's senior scientist for Mars Exploration, added historical context for the 350 billion-year-old evidence: “This is about the same time as we see some of the earliest fossils of life on Earth," she said. "These features are helping us better understand the potential biological history of Mars.”

Nicky Fox, NASA’s associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, stressed the importance of caution. “It’s a signature. It's a sort of leftover sign. It’s not life itself," she explained. "It certainly could have been from ancient life, and that would have been something that was there billions of years ago. Nothing that's current there."

Scientists emphasized the broader stakes of the discovery. “Are we truly alone in the universe?” Fox asked, adding that this announcement puts humanity one step closer to answering that profound question.

(MORE: Huge Martian Meteorite Found In Africa)

So far, the Perseverance Rover has collected 30 samples, with six more to go. But the real answers may only come if the samples can be brought back to Earth for detailed laboratory study. That’s the goal of a future Mars Sample Return mission, though the timeline for that effort remains uncertain.

While definitive proof remains out of reach, this discovery marks a major milestone in the search for life beyond Earth. As Duffy put it: “After 30 years of exploring Mars, this may be the moment we’ve been waiting for.”

Weather.com lead editor Jenn Jordan explores how weather and climate weave through our daily lives, shape our routines and leave lasting impacts on our communities.