Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

PLANETARY SCIENCE

Organic chemistry on a cool and wet young Mars

Subjects

The Curiosity rover is unveiling the persistence of habitable environments more than three-billion years ago at Gale crater, Mars. New analyses of Gale’s ancient sediments show that chemical processing of organic material occurred on a liquid-water rich and freezing early Mars.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Mars is grey.

D. Savransky and J. Bell (Cornell)/JPL/NASA (Spirit and Opportunity images) and NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS (Curiosity image)

References

  1. Franz, H. B. et al. Nat. Astron. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-019-0990-x (2020).

  2. Eigenbrode, J. L. et al. Science 360, 1096–1101 (2018).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Hoefs, J. Stable Isotope Geochemistry 8th edn (Springer, 2009).

  4. Navarro‐González, R., Vargas, E., Rosa, J., Raga, A. C. & McKay, C. P. J. Geophys. Res. 115, E12010 (2010).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Archer, P. D. Jr et al. In Proc. 50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conf. 3041 (LPI, 2019).

  6. Stern, J. C. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 112, 4245–4250 (2015).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Freissinet, C. et al. J. Geophys. Res. Planets 120, 495–514 (2015).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Wordsworth, R. D. Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 44, 381–408 (2016).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Thompson, L. M. et al. J. Geophys. Res. Planets 121, 1981–2003 (2016).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Bishop, J. L. et al. Nat. Astron. 2, 206–213 (2018).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Davila, A. F. et al. Geology 41, 755–758 (2013).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Newsom, H. E. et al. In Proc. 51st Lunar and Planetary Science Conf. 2609 (LPI, 2020).

  13. Fairén, A. G. Nat. Geosci. 10, 717–718 (2017).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alberto G. Fairén.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Fairén, A.G. Organic chemistry on a cool and wet young Mars. Nat Astron 4, 446–447 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-020-1098-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-020-1098-z

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing