Prime Highlights:
- NASA’s Perseverance rover discovered odd, bubble-like spheres inside a rock at the boundary of Mars’ Jezero Crater.
- They are thought to contain ancient information on the planet, perhaps about volcanism or water.
Key Background:
NASA’s Perseverance rover discovered something interesting on Mars—a small, round features in a rock near the edge of Jezero Crater. The enigmatic, bubble-like look intrigued scientists, and they now are trying to figure out how the features came to be and what they might reveal about the history of the planet.
This is not the first instance of Mars surprising scientists with mysterious spherical formations. NASA‘s Opportunity rover found similar kinds of “blueberry” formations years ago, which were linked to water activity. If the newly found spherules were formed using the same mechanisms, it would be another clue that liquid water had once been present on Mars—possibly even an atmosphere in which life could have existed.
But there’s another explanation. Some have said that the formations are the result of volcanic activity or even meteorite collision. That would mean that they are not liquid and are speaking of another story in the violent past of Mars. Either way, this discovery is another piece in the jigsaw attempting to reveal how the Red Planet was built over billions of years.
Perseverance is using its modern equipment to drill into the rock and obtain information. Studies of the minerals and elements that are present within these rocks ought to provide some indication to scientists as to how they were formed and if, in fact, they contain some secret key to conditions in the very distant past.
This discovery is a reminder that Mars has surprises waiting for it at every turn. With each new discovery, researchers are inching closer to solving titanic questions—like whether or not the planet ever existed with life and how it ended up the barren, dusty planet we now recognize. As Perseverance marches on, it will likely continue to make discoveries that will redefine what we know so far about our near neighbor.
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