Martian minerals could destroy organic compounds, the molecules necessary for life, as we search for them. A new study shows that heating a mineral called jarosite makes it break up organics before we have a chance to observe them, muddying the results from the Martian rover Curiosity.
Mars fans can be forgiven for a sense of déjà vu. The same problem may have plagued the 1976 Viking lander, the first spacecraft to search directly for Martian organics by heating powdered rock in its oven. When it failed to find any, researchers were surprised: comets, meteorites and interplanetary dust particles have been bringing organic material to the Red Planet throughout its history. Why weren't there any to be found?
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