Mars rover from team Curiosity has discovered compounds of nitrogen on Mars, adding evidence that the planet once supported life forms. Curiosity found or oxidised nitrates to be present, as dust and rock samples from Martian surface were analysed in its internal lab.

Researchers believe that may have resulted from nitrate breakdown due to the heating process performed in the lab. Nitrogen, one of the building blocks of DNA and RNA, is an important element needed to sustain life, given it is in the right form.

“Life runs on nitrogen as much as it runs on carbon,” according to NASA planetary geochemist Jennifer Stern in her statement to Los Angeles Times. It is no new information that Mars has nitrogen present in its atmosphere, but this gas should be ‘fixed’ in order to be useful.

On Earth, nitrogen is fixed by special microorganisms found in soil. The fixed nitrogen, which now takes the nitrate (NO3) form, will be used by life forms for biological processes. However, the research team said that the nitrates analysed by Curiosity may not have come from life forms.

"There is no evidence to suggest that the fixed nitrogen molecules found by the team were created by life," explained NASA. Instead, the team suggested that the nitrates more likely resulted from meteorite impacts.

Aside from nitrogen on Mars, evidence of other elements essential for life has also been found in the Martian site called Gale Crater. These include organic matter and liquid water. Sending out Curiosity is not about finding living forms or aliens on the Red Planet, but the rover can be very useful in performing rock and soil analysis to find out if key ingredients to life are present and may have previously sustained life on Mars.

To contact the writer, email: wendylemeric@gmail.com

RELATED STORIES