Curiosity is exploring Mars’ boxwork terrain, where ridges and hollows may have formed from cementation and erosion. The rover has been documenting rock textures and chemistry, comparing smoother ridge rocks with nodular hollow-edge rocks. Scientists are weighing drill sites while also monitoring dust, clouds, and long-distance features across Gale Crater.
Read moreIn Jezero Crater’s Bright Angel formation, Perseverance has found rocks rich in organic molecules and minerals linked to microbial metabolism. Their arrangement hints at redox reactions that resemble Earth’s life-driven chemistry. While not proof of Martian life, the findings qualify as “potential biosignatures” and make the stored sample a top candidate for return to Earth.
Read moreJezero Crater’s rocks reveal three stages of water activity, shifting from hostile acidic fluids to more life-friendly alkaline ones. Perseverance’s discoveries guide future sampling and strengthen the hunt for past life on Mars.
Read moreGiant ridges on the surface of landslides on Mars could have formed without ice, challenging their use by some as unequivocal evidence of past ice on the red planet, finds a new study using state-of-the-art satellite data.
Read moreMars once had salt lakes that are similar to those on Earth and has gone through wet and dry periods.
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New research sheds light on the ages of ice deposits reported in the area of the Moon's south pole — information that could help identify the sources of the deposits and help in planning future human exploration.
If you could travel back in time 3.5 billion years, what would Mars look like? The picture is evolving among scientists working with NASA's Curiosity rover.