here is the official NASA press release. primary sources are always preferable, especially compared to this fuckass "digital trends" clickbait website.

“This finding by Perseverance, launched under President Trump in his first term, is the closest we have ever come to discovering life on Mars. The identification of a potential biosignature on the Red Planet is a groundbreaking discovery, and one that will advance our understanding of Mars,” said acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy. “NASA’s commitment to conducting Gold Standard Science will continue as we pursue our goal of putting American boots on Mars’ rocky soil.”

quick fact check: it was launched in 2020, but announced back in 2012. giving Trump credit here is idiotic, but it's about what you'd expect from Sean Duffy, he's a Trump crony through-and-through. before being the NASA administrator he was Trump's Secretary of Transportation, and before that he was a Republican congressman, and reality TV contestant (on The Real World and the *checks notes* Lumberjack World Championship)

I think it's important to remember that everything, even basic scientific research, is liable to be politicized if it suits their ends. so it's totally possible this biosignature is legitimate, but it's also totally possible that they're hyping up questionable findings because they want to persuade Trump that funding a NASA mission to Mars would boost his TV ratings.

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 1 points 23 hours ago

Reading the attribution to Trump for no reason was so infuriating especially considering what they're currently doing to NASA... Assholes the lot of em...

[–] Zacryon@feddit.org 34 points 3 days ago (1 children)

TL;DR: they have found patterns on a rock that are similar to stuff that forms with microbial life. But it could have also formed in a non-lifey way. They need to investigate further to know what's up.

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 7 points 3 days ago (2 children)

But it could have also formed in a non-lifey way.

Then I guess that's what it is.

As the golden rule states: it's never aliens.

[–] ByteSorcerer@beehaw.org 3 points 1 day ago

In this case it's somewhat different.

We have seen almost these exact formations on earth, where they are created by microbiological lifeforms which could survive in the condition of how we expect ancient Mars was like when this sediment was formed.

We have been able to reproduce similar patterns in the lab, but only in conditions with much higher temperatures or with much higher acidity than what we'd expect Mars to have been like back then.

So the possible options are:

Ancient Mars was how we expect it to have been, and these patterns were formed by ancient microbiological, Martian lifeforms.
These patterns were formed by a known chemical process, and ancient Mars was much hotter or more acidic (or both) than we expected based on all other research.
These patterns were formed by a currently unknown chemical process that does not require the high temperature of acidity that the known processes require.

So in this case it's not just wishful thinking. The hypothesis of this being formed by microbiological life is the hypothesis that best fits with what we currently know about the conditions in which the sediment was formed (which doesn't fully prove that it's true, but does give it credibility). And even if options 2 or 3 will end up being the right explanation, then we'll still at least learn something interesting from this.

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 4 points 2 days ago

Yep.

But honestly to expect much else is unrealistic. At least in modern times.

The more we fail to find evidence of past life on mars. The more likely the things we look at are not oing to be a sign.

Unfortunately it is the only planet we have current exploration on.

Well other then earth. And we long since prooved no intelligent life there.

We do have a couple of moons that hold some promise. Hopefully we will launch robotic exploration there within my lifetime.

Unfortunately science funding for such exploration is getting harder each year.

[–] bobo1900@startrek.website 9 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

A later NASA mission will attempt to collect the rover's samples and bring them to Earth for closer analysis in laboratory conditions.

Damn I didn't expect thats. Sounds cool as hell, hope they manage it.

[–] Nusm@peachpie.theatl.social 3 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I don’t. I mean, do you want a sci-fi horror movie? Because this is how a sci-fi horror movie starts.

[–] Perspectivist@feddit.uk 9 points 3 days ago

The "fi" being the important part here.

[–] blindsight@beehaw.org 2 points 2 days ago

Film 1 is the crew desperately trying to make it home in the prologue and dying, then the alien mind control worms slowly take over a NASA research facility until it's finally eradicated in the closing scene, with Sigourney Weaver the lone human survivor. But if you wait until after the credits, you get a 5-second teaser of a single worm wriggling out through a crack in the side of the facility.

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 5 points 3 days ago

Headline is a bit overstated.