Life on Mars? ‘Leopard-spot’ rocks could be biggest clue yet

The unusual rocks could show evidence of past life on the planet.

Unusual rocks discovered on the Red Planet may show evidence of past life on the planet.

The mudstones were found in a dusty riverbed by NASA's Perseverance Rover and were dotted with intriguing markings nicknamed 'leopard spots' and 'poppy seeds'.

Scientists are of the opinion that these features contain minerals produced by chemical reactions associated with ancient Martian microbes.

While it's quite possible the natural geological processes produced such minerals, at a press conference NASA said the features could be the clearest signs of life yet.

The findings are even substantial enough to meet NASA's criteria for what it calls 'potential biosignatures', meaning they will be further investigated to determine their biological origin.

Planetary scientist from Imperial College London and author of a study published in the journal nature, Professor Sanjeev Gupta, stated: "We've not had something like this before, so I think that's the big deal."

"We have found features in the rocks that if you saw them on Earth could be explained by biology - by microbial process. So we're not saying that we found life, but we're saying that it really gives us something to chase."

Additionally, speaking at the conference, Nasa's Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, Dr Nicola Fox stated: "It's like seeing a leftover fossil. Maybe it was a leftover meal, maybe that meal's been excreted and that's what we're seeing here."

The only way to fully confirm if the minerals were microbe made would be to bring them to Earth for analysis.

NASA and ESA have both proposed the return mission; however, its future looks uncertain.

This comes as the budget allocated to the US Space Agency is facing huge cuts in President Trump's 2026 budget, with a sample return mission being one of those facing cancellation.

While a decision around testing is being debated, scientists are desperate to get hands on the rocks.

"We need to see these samples back on Earth," added Professor Gupta.

"I think for true confidence, most scientists would want to see and examine these rocks on Earth - this is one of our high priority samples to return."