2026-04-21 NASA
This is an annotated close-up of three holes NASA’s Curiosity drilled into Martian rock at a location nicknamed “Mary Anning” in October 2020. The sample where the rover found a diverse number of organic molecules came from “Mary Anning 3.” (A nearby spot nicknamed “Mary Anning 2” went unused.)NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.nasa.gov/missions/mars-science-laboratory/curiosity-rover/nasas-curiosity-finds-organic-molecules-never-seen-before-on-mars/
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-70656-0
火星に存在する多様な有機分子が、初のSAM TMAH実験によって明らかになった Diverse organic molecules on Mars revealed by the first SAM TMAH experiment
Amy J. Williams,Jennifer L. Eigenbrode,Maëva Millan,Ross H. Williams,Ophélie M. Mcintosh,Samuel Teinturier,Janelle Roach,Charles Malespin,Amy C. McAdam,Paul Mahaffy,Alexander B. Bryk,Arnaud Buch,David Boulesteix,Luoth Chou,Jason P. Dworkin,Valerie Fox,Heather B. Franz,Caroline Freissinet,Daniel P. Glavin,Christopher H. House,Sarah Stewart Johnson,James M. T. Lewis,Angel Mojarro,Rafael Navarro-Gonzalez,… Ashwin R. Vasavada
Nature Communications Published:21 April 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70656-0
Abstract
The search for organic matter on Mars has rapidly evolved in the past decade with simple aromatic, S-heterocycles, and aliphatic organic molecules detected in Gale crater. We report the in situ detection of >20 organic molecules from clay-bearing sandstones in the ~3.5-billion-year-old Knockfarrill Hill member of Glen Torridon, Gale crater, by the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite onboard the Curiosity rover. These molecules were liberated by the onboard tetramethylammonium hydroxide wet chemistry experiment. Diverse thermochemolysis products, including benzothiophene, methyl benzoate, and single and dicyclic aromatic molecules were released and detected by evolved gas analysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results indicate the experiment successfully released molecules preserved in ancient macromolecular or free organic matter within Martian bedrock despite ~3.5 billion years of diagenesis and radiation exposure.
