The Martian meteorite ‘Tissint,’ which crashed landed in Morocco more than ten years ago, was studied, and it was discovered that it contains a wide variety of organic compounds that could provide new information about the habitability of the Red Planet and even crucial hints about the Earth’s geological history.
An multinational group of scientists headed by the Technical University of Munich in Germany published their findings in the journal Science Advances. Additionally, it comprised Andrew Steele of the Carnegie Institution for Science in the United States and Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin of Helmholtz Munich.
According to Schmitt-Kopplin, the study’s lead author, ‘Mars and Earth share many characteristics of their evolution. And while life arose and thrived on our home planet, the question of whether it ever existed on Mars is a very hot research topic that requires deeper knowledge of our neighbouring planet’s water, organic molecules, and reactive surfaces.’
After analysing the meteorite’s organic inventory in detail the researchers found a link between the type and diversity of organic molecules as well as specific mineralogy. This helped them create the most comprehensive catalogue of the diversity of organic compounds found in a Martian meteorite or in a sample collected and analysed by a rover.
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