Top NewsNASA rover Curiosity has made a surprising discovery in the rocks of...

NASA rover Curiosity has made a surprising discovery in the rocks of Mars

Discovery of pure sulfur on Mars: Curiosity rover discovers yellow crystals in Geddis-Wallis channel, providing new insights into Martian geology and possible living conditions.

Surprising discovery: Mars rover Curiosity runs over a rock that’s broken and sulfur crystals are visible.

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

NASA’s Curiosity rover has been exploring the surface of Mars for more than a decade and continues to make new scientific discoveries. But the latest discovery trumps many things: The rover found pure sulfur in the Geddis-Vallis Canal. A coincidence led to this discovery when Curiosity ran into a rock and broke up. Inside, scientists found yellow crystals made of elemental sulfur – a first on the Red Planet.

Pure sulfur on Mars – a novelty

Sulfates are already known on Mars, which are compounds of sulfur with other substances. Sulfates form as salts when water evaporates and provide insights into the planet’s water history. However, pure sulfur, found in its elemental form, represents a new dimension to Martian geology.

Curiosity project scientist Ashwin Vasavata describes it well: “Finding a rock made of pure sulfur is like finding an oasis in the desert.” Pure sulfur is formed only under certain conditions that have not yet been achieved. The region of Mars around the Gediz-Vallis Canal is unknown.

Importance of discovery

The discovery of pure sulfur on Mars raises many questions. Sulfur is an essential element for life, as it is needed in the form of sulfate to produce essential amino acids. The discovery could provide clues about past conditions that may have supported life on Mars. How the sulfur got there is still unclear. The researchers suspect that currently unknown chemical processes may have played a role.

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It is important to understand that sulfur is an essential element for all living things. On Earth, sulfur is mostly absorbed in the sulfate form and used to make two essential amino acids needed for protein synthesis. The discovery of pure sulfur will now help better understand geological and possible biological processes on Mars.

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