Is there life on Mars? Well, according to scientists, quite possibly.
In fact, the search for life on the Red Planet has taken a very encouraging turn, with experts claiming that the key may have been found beneath the surface.
All this is based on the exploits of the Perseverance rover, which recently provided data that led scientists to believe that at least one crate on Mars was once filled with water.
Now, water is a very promising indicator in the search for life, and images obtained from the ship's underground radar also suggest that we may be closer than ever to finding fossils of microbial life.
Jezero Crater is currently the focus of NASA scientists' attention, as the site is believed to be home to a lake that was once connected to a river.
The samples obtained from the site are very encouraging, and the first authors of a new study published in Science Advances say that the samples obtained by the rover are promising.
David Paige, a planetary scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said: "We can see a bunch of different sediments from orbit, but we can't be sure if we're seeing them in their original state or if we're seeing the conclusion of a long geological story." To know how these things are formed, we need to look beneath the surface.
Perseverance can map a layer of soil up to 20 meters deep, and the results show that the sediment layer is constructed in a way comparable to that of lakes on Earth.
The rover has collected sediment samples, some of which suggest that organic compounds may be among them. We'll have to wait until the rover returns to Earth to fully understand the implications of these discoveries, but it's a fascinating breakthrough in the search for extraterrestrial life on the Red Planet.
The authors of the study said: "This series of events. The fortified Jezero crater records a rich geological history, which is driven by large-scale changes in the Martian environment.
A more complete understanding of these events may require waiting for the return and analysis of the Perseverance sample.