WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.439 --> 00:00:07.719 Welcome to Bedtime Astronomy. Explore the wonders of the cosmos 2 00:00:07.759 --> 00:00:12.279 with our soothing Bedtime Astronomie podcast. Each episode offers a 3 00:00:12.359 --> 00:00:16.320 gentle journey through the stars, planets, and beyond, perfect for 4 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:20.239 unwinding after a long day. Let's travel through the mysteries 5 00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:22.440 of the universe as you drift off into a peaceful 6 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:23.800 slumber under the night sky. 7 00:00:26.839 --> 00:00:29.679 Welcome back everyone. Today, we're doing a deep dive into 8 00:00:29.719 --> 00:00:33.640 something truly fascinating, the ongoing hunt for life beyond Earth, 9 00:00:33.679 --> 00:00:36.719 specifically what's happening on Mars right now. 10 00:00:36.759 --> 00:00:39.719 It's a quest that really captures the imagination, doesn't it 11 00:00:39.799 --> 00:00:42.719 asking those big questions about our place in the universe. 12 00:00:42.840 --> 00:00:46.159 Absolutely, And you know, things have gotten incredibly exciting lately 13 00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:49.679 thanks to NASA's perseverance rover. I mean, I've been following 14 00:00:49.719 --> 00:00:54.119 this pretty closely, and these new findings, Wow, they really 15 00:00:54.159 --> 00:00:56.600 make you rethink Mars's ancient past. 16 00:00:56.719 --> 00:01:00.119 They really do. What's got the scientific community buzzing, I 17 00:01:00.159 --> 00:01:02.439 think is the nature of these findings. We're talking about 18 00:01:02.439 --> 00:01:04.799 what are called potential biosignatures. 19 00:01:04.840 --> 00:01:08.200 Okay, let's unpack that potential biosignatures, not proof. 20 00:01:08.040 --> 00:01:11.560 Yet exactly not definitive proof, not yet anyway, but they 21 00:01:11.560 --> 00:01:15.159 are strong indicators pointers towards the possibility of past life 22 00:01:15.359 --> 00:01:19.359 and even finding potential signs. While the implications are just huge. 23 00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:22.719 It forces you to consider how common life might actually 24 00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:23.319 be out there. 25 00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:26.200 Precisely. This isn't the end of the story, obviously, but 26 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:30.480 it feels like a really crucial, thrilling step forward in 27 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:32.200 a long scientific process. 28 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:35.120 In this particular study we're diving into. It comes from 29 00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:38.120 researchers like doctor Michael Tice at Texas A and M 30 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:39.000 published in Nature. 31 00:01:39.159 --> 00:01:42.239 That's right, highly credible source, and the focus is on 32 00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:45.560 a very specific spot in jeserro Creator on Mars, an 33 00:01:45.640 --> 00:01:47.640 area called the bright Angel formation. 34 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:51.000 Right, So our mission today is to really get into 35 00:01:51.040 --> 00:01:54.120 this study. What did they find, What does it really mean? 36 00:01:54.760 --> 00:01:58.879 How solid is the science and why is it so significant? 37 00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:02.439 And we'll explore that tantazing idea. What if life used 38 00:02:02.439 --> 00:02:05.120 similar chemical tricks on early Mars as it did on 39 00:02:05.159 --> 00:02:05.760 early Earth? 40 00:02:05.959 --> 00:02:09.520 Exactly? Does that suggest life as well? Maybe not such 41 00:02:09.560 --> 00:02:12.080 a rare thing after all. Let's get into the chemistry, 42 00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:15.319 the geology and all the possibilities. Okay, so let's set 43 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:18.400 the scene. Many of you listening probably know about Perseverance, 44 00:02:18.719 --> 00:02:22.759 NASA's amazing rover on Mars. It's basically a rolling geology 45 00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:25.280 and astrobiology lab about the size of a car. 46 00:02:25.479 --> 00:02:28.240 Been up there since what February twenty twenty one, doing 47 00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:29.159 incredible work. 48 00:02:29.199 --> 00:02:31.400 Yeah, and its main goal is epic look for signs 49 00:02:31.400 --> 00:02:34.520 of ancient life, collect samples, samples that might eventually come 50 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:35.280 back to Earth. 51 00:02:35.120 --> 00:02:36.800 Which is key, as we'll discuss later. 52 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:40.560 Definitely. But picture this robot, you know, built by us, 53 00:02:40.759 --> 00:02:46.280 exploring this alien world, examining rocks dust like a field geologist, 54 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:49.199 but millions of miles away. It's kind of amazing, it 55 00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:52.719 really is. And getting to this bright angel spot wasn't easy. 56 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:57.800 It had to navigate this big, dunefieldly to dodge massive boulders. 57 00:02:57.919 --> 00:03:00.400 I mean, one wrong move could end the mission. 58 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:04.400 It's a slow, careful process. Every meter covered is a 59 00:03:04.520 --> 00:03:05.960 huge engineering achievement. 60 00:03:06.120 --> 00:03:09.960 It really is like watching a detective piece together a well, 61 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:11.159 a cosmic cold case. 62 00:03:11.560 --> 00:03:14.439 Rock by rock and the location Jesura Crater that was 63 00:03:14.520 --> 00:03:18.080 no accident. Scientists picked it for a very specific reason. 64 00:03:17.800 --> 00:03:19.800 Because it used to be a lake right billions of 65 00:03:19.879 --> 00:03:20.199 years ago. 66 00:03:20.400 --> 00:03:23.240 Exactly. All the evidence points to a large lake fed 67 00:03:23.280 --> 00:03:25.719 by rivers like the Nureta Valleys. This is back when 68 00:03:25.759 --> 00:03:29.039 Mars was much warmer and wetter than it is today. 69 00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:32.159 And the thinking is on Earth, where there's water, there's 70 00:03:32.240 --> 00:03:33.560 usually life. 71 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:36.360 That's the guiding principle. So an ancient lake bed like Jezero, 72 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:39.280 that's prime real estate for finding signs of past water 73 00:03:39.560 --> 00:03:41.680 and maybe just maybe signs of past life. 74 00:03:41.719 --> 00:03:44.159 The sediments laid down in that lake, they can preserve. 75 00:03:43.879 --> 00:03:49.159 Evidence potentially, Yes, fine grained mudstones laid down layer by 76 00:03:49.240 --> 00:03:53.719 layer could trap and preserve biosignatures, much like lakebeds do 77 00:03:53.840 --> 00:03:56.800 here on Earth. It's like Mars left us a perfectly 78 00:03:56.840 --> 00:03:58.439 preserved geological invitation. 79 00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:02.039 So perseverance makes it tough journey and finally gets to 80 00:04:02.039 --> 00:04:05.240 the Bright Angel formation, and right away it's clear this 81 00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:06.319 place is different. 82 00:04:06.120 --> 00:04:09.319 Stands out from what the rover had seen before in Jazzero, and. 83 00:04:09.240 --> 00:04:13.000 The name Bright Angel kind of the ocative comes from 84 00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:15.439 the Grand Canyon apparently. Yeah, because the rocks there are 85 00:04:15.520 --> 00:04:16.160 lighter in color. 86 00:04:16.240 --> 00:04:18.519 That's right. It helps connect it back, makes this alien 87 00:04:18.600 --> 00:04:20.000 landscape a bit more relatable. 88 00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:23.120 Doctor Tys, the researcher we mentioned, he said something interesting 89 00:04:23.160 --> 00:04:26.800 about the team's reaction when they got there. Basically, when 90 00:04:26.800 --> 00:04:30.399 the rover entered Bright Angel, the team was immediately struck 91 00:04:30.439 --> 00:04:31.600 by how different the rocks were. 92 00:04:31.800 --> 00:04:35.279 Yeah, that phrase immediately struck, coming from scientists who've been 93 00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:37.480 staring at Mars data for years. That tells you something 94 00:04:37.560 --> 00:04:38.560 significant happened. 95 00:04:38.600 --> 00:04:41.480 So what was it geologically speaking? What made it so different? 96 00:04:41.720 --> 00:04:44.279 Well, its location is key. It's right in the nerve 97 00:04:44.319 --> 00:04:47.639 of a Valis channel, which was a major river flowing 98 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:51.079 into the old Jezero Lake. So it's not just some random. 99 00:04:50.680 --> 00:04:53.519 Spot, okay, so strategically placed exactly. 100 00:04:53.639 --> 00:04:59.800 And the rocks themselves are mainly these fine grained sedimentary rocks, mudstones, 101 00:05:00.160 --> 00:05:03.199 mudstones formed from silt and clay carried by water. 102 00:05:03.680 --> 00:05:06.839 So direct evidence of flowing water depositing material. 103 00:05:06.959 --> 00:05:11.360 Right you see layering bedding structures. It points to a dynamic, 104 00:05:11.480 --> 00:05:15.600 persistent water system, a river flowing into a lake, not 105 00:05:15.639 --> 00:05:17.360 just a puddle, but an active system. 106 00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:19.920 And on Earth, those kinds of environments are often rich 107 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:21.240 in organic stuff. 108 00:05:21.000 --> 00:05:25.319 And micro precisely, the very rocks there whisper stories of water, 109 00:05:25.439 --> 00:05:28.480 of flowing rivers, of deposition over time. So Entice and 110 00:05:28.560 --> 00:05:32.000 the team saw this, that immediate strike makes perfect sense 111 00:05:32.040 --> 00:05:34.000 they knew they were somewhere fundamentally different. 112 00:05:34.079 --> 00:05:36.519 Okay, this is where for me, anyway, it gets really good. 113 00:05:37.160 --> 00:05:39.480 We shift from the rocks themselves to what's in them, 114 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:40.680 the chemistry. 115 00:05:40.800 --> 00:05:44.120 Yeah, the instruments on Perseverance started analyzing these bright Angel 116 00:05:44.199 --> 00:05:46.519 mudstones and they found, well, quite a mix. 117 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:48.000 What kind of mix are we talking about. 118 00:05:48.199 --> 00:05:53.399 We're seeing things like oxidized iron basically rust in different forms, 119 00:05:54.360 --> 00:05:58.439 phosphorus which is fundamental for DNA and cell membranes, sulfur 120 00:05:58.720 --> 00:06:04.199 also key for biochemistry, and the big one perhaps organic carbon. 121 00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:07.160 Now organic carbon we found that on Mars before, right 122 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:09.199 from meteorites or maybe volcanoes. 123 00:06:09.279 --> 00:06:12.279 That's true. Yes, organic carbon itself isn't proof of life. 124 00:06:12.439 --> 00:06:13.480 So what's different here. 125 00:06:13.600 --> 00:06:16.680 It's the combination. It's finding the organic carbon together with 126 00:06:16.759 --> 00:06:19.959 these other elements, the iron, the sulfur, the phosphorus, all 127 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:24.439 in these specific mudstones, that particular assemblage and that context. 128 00:06:24.639 --> 00:06:25.920 That's what grabbed their attention. 129 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:29.240 So it's like finding flour, sugar, eggs, and butter all 130 00:06:29.279 --> 00:06:31.519 in the same bowl, not just scattered around the kitchen. 131 00:06:32.279 --> 00:06:36.399 That's actually a great analogy. Yes, and this specific chemical 132 00:06:36.439 --> 00:06:39.240 cocktail as you called it, represents what scientists see as 133 00:06:39.240 --> 00:06:42.639 a potentially rich source of energy for early microorganisms. 134 00:06:42.839 --> 00:06:45.079 Okay, connect that to early life on Earth for us, 135 00:06:45.079 --> 00:06:45.839 How does that work? 136 00:06:46.040 --> 00:06:48.959 Well, The earliest life on Earth didn't necessarily use sunlight 137 00:06:49.079 --> 00:06:53.079 like plants do. Many early microbes got energy from chemical imbalances, 138 00:06:53.120 --> 00:06:54.839 from chemical gradients in their. 139 00:06:54.759 --> 00:06:58.120 Environment, like eating certain chemicals and breathing others. 140 00:06:58.240 --> 00:07:02.800 Exactly. It's called chemical cycling. Life basically exploits these energy differences, 141 00:07:03.360 --> 00:07:07.720 and finding oxidized iron, sulfur, phosphorus, and organic carbon together 142 00:07:07.800 --> 00:07:10.399 suggests just such an energy imbalance existed. 143 00:07:10.079 --> 00:07:13.160 There an environment ripe for life to tap into for energy. 144 00:07:13.439 --> 00:07:17.920 Potentially, Yes, it means the ingredients and the energetic drive 145 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:20.639 needed for life using these kinds of chemical reactions could 146 00:07:20.680 --> 00:07:23.839 have been present on ancient Mars, very similar to conditions 147 00:07:23.879 --> 00:07:27.600 on early Earth. It's a really tantalizing parallel hashtag taged 148 00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:32.439 hagetag tag two point two spectrometers, redox reactions, and mineral signatures. 149 00:07:32.839 --> 00:07:35.680 So finding this chemical buffet is one thing, but how 150 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:39.480 do you actually see these microscopic chemical clues from millions 151 00:07:39.519 --> 00:07:42.519 of miles away. That's where the rovers fancy instruments come in, right, 152 00:07:42.600 --> 00:07:44.920 looking for things like redox reactions. 153 00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:49.279 Right, Perseverance has some incredibly sophisticated tools, sherlock, which looks 154 00:07:49.319 --> 00:07:52.839 for organics and chemicals using ramen and luminescence. 155 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:56.399 And PRXL, which maps out the elemental composition using X rays. 156 00:07:56.639 --> 00:07:58.720 These are basically the rovers chemical eyes. 157 00:07:58.920 --> 00:08:03.199 Very powerful eyes, and they're looking for evidence of redox reactions, 158 00:08:03.199 --> 00:08:06.480 those chemical reactions involving the transfer of electrons. 159 00:08:06.560 --> 00:08:09.519 Why are redox reactions so important in the search for. 160 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:13.040 Life because here on Earth, redox reactions are very often 161 00:08:13.120 --> 00:08:17.079 driven by life itself. Microbs do this constantly for energy 162 00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:20.480 from metabolism, and in doing so they change their environment 163 00:08:20.639 --> 00:08:22.879 and leave behind chemical fingerprints. 164 00:08:23.120 --> 00:08:26.120 So finding signs of lots of redox activity on Mars 165 00:08:26.439 --> 00:08:27.639 is a big flag up. 166 00:08:27.560 --> 00:08:30.680 Potentially biological flag. Yes, it makes you stop and look closer. 167 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:34.759 And the Rover team found some really striking microscopic features 168 00:08:34.759 --> 00:08:38.679 in these mudstones, tiny little spheres, nodules, and also these 169 00:08:38.679 --> 00:08:41.759 reaction fronts, distinct zones where chemical changes happen. 170 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:43.879 And these got nicknames right, the poppy seeds and the 171 00:08:43.960 --> 00:08:44.639 leopard spots. 172 00:08:44.679 --> 00:08:48.039 Ah. Yes, easier to visualize that way, And importantly, these 173 00:08:48.120 --> 00:08:51.120 tiny structures were enriched in very specific minerals. 174 00:08:51.159 --> 00:08:52.840 Okay, what minerals were we talking about? 175 00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:57.000 Ferris iron phosphate likely a mineral called vivianite, and iron 176 00:08:57.080 --> 00:08:59.440 sulfide likely gresite. 177 00:08:58.919 --> 00:09:02.399 Vivinite and greenshitpe. Why are those minerals significant. 178 00:09:01.960 --> 00:09:05.279 Because both vivianite and greg often form on Earth in 179 00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:10.240 cool water rich environments, low oxygen, and they're very frequently 180 00:09:10.279 --> 00:09:15.080 associated with microbial activity, with microbial metabolism. 181 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:19.480 So their presence points towards specific environmental conditions possibly linked 182 00:09:19.480 --> 00:09:21.000 to life exactly. 183 00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:23.879 And doctor Tys pointed out, it's not just finding the minerals, 184 00:09:23.919 --> 00:09:27.279 he said, it's how they are arranged in these structures 185 00:09:27.279 --> 00:09:30.159 that suggest that they formed through the redoc cycling of 186 00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:31.240 iron and sulfur. 187 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:34.039 So the pattern matters as much as the substance. 188 00:09:34.159 --> 00:09:38.399 Precisely, he pose the key question. On Earth, microbes eat 189 00:09:38.519 --> 00:09:42.519 organic matter and breathe rust and sulfate forming features like this. 190 00:09:42.960 --> 00:09:44.639 Could the same thing have happened on Mars? 191 00:09:44.759 --> 00:09:47.519 It really makes you wonder. It's the arrangement that contexts 192 00:09:47.559 --> 00:09:50.840 the whole picture that starts to look intriguingly biological. 193 00:09:50.960 --> 00:09:55.080 It moves beyond just interesting geology towards something well something 194 00:09:55.120 --> 00:09:58.840 that needs serious consideration as potentially life related. 195 00:09:59.039 --> 00:10:01.519 Okay, so we have them minerals the structure. Let's go 196 00:10:01.559 --> 00:10:04.960 back to the organic carbon. The Sherlock instrument detected something 197 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:05.960 called the G band. 198 00:10:06.360 --> 00:10:09.679 Yes, the G band is basically a spectral signature, a 199 00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:14.960 specific way organic carbon molecules vibrate when hit with Sherlock's laser. 200 00:10:15.440 --> 00:10:18.840 Think of it like a fingerprint for carbon bonds, a. 201 00:10:18.840 --> 00:10:22.159 Weight to spot organic molecules, even in tiny amounts exactly. 202 00:10:22.519 --> 00:10:25.360 But what's really compelling here is where they found the 203 00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:29.240 strongest signals for this G band. It wasn't just everywhere, No, 204 00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:32.960 the strongest signals were concentrated at a site they named 205 00:10:33.039 --> 00:10:36.840 Apollo Temple. And critically, this was the exact same spot 206 00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:40.799 where the vivianite and gregite, those redocks minerals we just 207 00:10:40.840 --> 00:10:42.960 talked about were most abundant. 208 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:46.320 Wow. So the organic carbon and these specific minerals are 209 00:10:46.360 --> 00:10:49.159 literally found together, side by side in the rock. 210 00:10:49.399 --> 00:10:53.480 Precisely. This colocation, this spatial relationship, is a huge piece 211 00:10:53.519 --> 00:10:55.080 of the puzzle. It's not random. 212 00:10:55.240 --> 00:10:58.519 What does that closeness actually suggest? Why is finding them 213 00:10:58.519 --> 00:11:01.039 together so much more powerful than finding them separately? 214 00:11:01.240 --> 00:11:04.360 Because it strongly implies they were involved in the same processes. 215 00:11:04.679 --> 00:11:08.000 It suggests an active interaction between the organic matter and 216 00:11:08.080 --> 00:11:10.600 these minerals during their formation, like they were. 217 00:11:10.519 --> 00:11:13.519 Part of the same chemical reactions. That's the implication. 218 00:11:13.919 --> 00:11:17.440 On Earth. Seeing organic matter closely tied to these kinds 219 00:11:17.480 --> 00:11:20.759 of redox minerals and sediments is often a dead giveaway 220 00:11:20.840 --> 00:11:25.440 for biological activity. Microbes munch on the organics, drive the 221 00:11:25.480 --> 00:11:29.879 redox reactions and influence which minerals form right around them. 222 00:11:30.080 --> 00:11:32.320 Doctor Tys commented on this too, he did. 223 00:11:32.399 --> 00:11:36.759 He said, this colocation is very compelling. It suggests that 224 00:11:36.919 --> 00:11:39.559 organic molecules may have played a role in driving the 225 00:11:39.639 --> 00:11:41.960 chemical reactions that formed these minerals. 226 00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:44.440 So it paints a picture of a dynamic system potentially 227 00:11:44.480 --> 00:11:48.559 biologically mediated, rather than just a random collection of chemicals exactly. 228 00:11:48.879 --> 00:11:51.519 It makes the whole scenario much more coherent and boost 229 00:11:51.559 --> 00:11:54.200 the case that these weren't just passive ingredients, but active 230 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:57.320 participants in potentially life driven cycles. 231 00:11:57.519 --> 00:12:00.240 Okay, but we need to be really careful here. Say 232 00:12:00.360 --> 00:12:05.440 organic carbon people instantly think life. But it's not that simple, 233 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:05.960 is it. 234 00:12:05.960 --> 00:12:08.279 Not at all? And doctor Tize made this point very clearly. 235 00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:12.879 Organic in chemistry just means molecules with carbon bonds. Life 236 00:12:12.960 --> 00:12:16.080 uses them absolutely, but they can also form. 237 00:12:15.919 --> 00:12:19.679 Without life, like for meteorites or geological processes deep inside 238 00:12:19.720 --> 00:12:20.159 a planet. 239 00:12:20.440 --> 00:12:25.639 Right, Meteorites often contain complex organic molecules, and certain geological 240 00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:30.879 reactions like sarpentanization can also produce them abiotically, meaning without biology. 241 00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:34.360 So finding organic carbon on Mars means the building blocks 242 00:12:34.360 --> 00:12:37.240 were there, but not necessarily life itself. 243 00:12:37.440 --> 00:12:40.960 Correct. The study basically considers two main possibilities for the 244 00:12:41.039 --> 00:12:44.799 organic matter they detected. Either it formed through these non 245 00:12:44.919 --> 00:12:49.679 living abiotic processes, or it was originally produced by living organisms. 246 00:12:49.720 --> 00:12:52.240 And what we're seeing now is the degraded remains of 247 00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:55.840 that biological material after billions of years of radiation and 248 00:12:55.919 --> 00:12:59.799 chemical reactions. The g BAN signature could represent that de 249 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:01.360 grated biological carbon. 250 00:13:01.639 --> 00:13:04.320 Okay, so how do you tell the difference abiotic versus 251 00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:07.240 biotic origin? That seems like the absolute key question. 252 00:13:07.399 --> 00:13:09.120 It is the key question, And this is where things 253 00:13:09.159 --> 00:13:11.879 get really tricky but also very interesting, especially when you 254 00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:13.919 bring the sulfur minerals back into the picture. 255 00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:16.320 The greensiite the iron sulfide. 256 00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:19.279 Yes, while some of the iron features the vivian i 257 00:13:19.399 --> 00:13:23.360 maybe could potentially form from abiotic reactions involving organic matter 258 00:13:23.399 --> 00:13:27.320 and iron at lower temperatures. The sulfur minerals are different. 259 00:13:27.480 --> 00:13:28.480 How so, the. 260 00:13:28.440 --> 00:13:31.799 Study highlights this known abiotic ways to make features like 261 00:13:31.879 --> 00:13:36.279 the greggy they observed. These leopard spots usually require pretty 262 00:13:36.360 --> 00:13:40.240 high temperatures think hydrothermal systems, volcanic activity. 263 00:13:40.399 --> 00:13:44.159 Okay, but did perseverance see any signs of high heat 264 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:45.679 in these bright angel rocks. 265 00:13:46.200 --> 00:13:47.440 That's the crucial point. 266 00:13:47.679 --> 00:13:47.759 No. 267 00:13:48.279 --> 00:13:50.960 According to doctor Tye, all the ways we have of 268 00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:54.039 examining these rocks on the rover suggests that they were 269 00:13:54.159 --> 00:13:57.240 never heated enough to produce these features abiotically. 270 00:13:57.519 --> 00:14:01.039 Wow. So the known non biological recipes were heat, but 271 00:14:01.159 --> 00:14:03.480 the crime scene shows no sign of an oven being 272 00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:04.519 used exactly. 273 00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:07.240 That's a fantastic analogy. Again, the lack of evidence for 274 00:14:07.320 --> 00:14:10.759 high temperatures is what makes the biological explanation so much 275 00:14:10.799 --> 00:14:12.600 more compelling. For these specific features. 276 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:14.039 It's like a process of elimination. 277 00:14:14.519 --> 00:14:17.240 It is. If the non biological ways we know about 278 00:14:17.320 --> 00:14:19.559 don't fit the evidence, you have to seriously consider the 279 00:14:19.559 --> 00:14:22.919 biological alternative, which led doctor Tys to say, and this 280 00:14:23.080 --> 00:14:25.840 is quite a statement. What did he say if that's 281 00:14:25.879 --> 00:14:29.159 the case. We have to seriously consider the possibility that 282 00:14:29.200 --> 00:14:32.159 they were made by creatures like bacteria living in the 283 00:14:32.279 --> 00:14:35.440 mud in a Martian lake more than three billion years ago. 284 00:14:35.639 --> 00:14:39.000 That's pretty mind blowing. The lack of heat makes the 285 00:14:39.000 --> 00:14:41.039 biological case much stronger. 286 00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:44.679 Much stronger for the specific mineral assemblages. Yes, it doesn't 287 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:47.960 prove it, but it significantly elevates the possibility beyond just 288 00:14:48.039 --> 00:14:50.039 finding generic organic carbon. 289 00:14:50.399 --> 00:14:53.159 So, okay, the evidence is compelling. The lack of heat, 290 00:14:53.279 --> 00:14:56.840 the colocation, the specific minerals, it all points in a 291 00:14:56.919 --> 00:14:59.679 very interesting direction. Yeah, but the team is still careful, right, 292 00:14:59.720 --> 00:15:01.519 they're chatting we found life. 293 00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:05.639 Absolutely not scientific rigor demands caution, especially with the claim 294 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:09.000 this big. They are very clear this is not definitive. 295 00:15:08.519 --> 00:15:11.720 Proof, but it does meet NASA's criteria for something specific. 296 00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:16.000 Yes, it meets the criteria for potential biosignatures. 297 00:15:16.080 --> 00:15:18.480 And what does that mean exactly for us listening? 298 00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:24.320 It basically means they've found features chemical mineralogical structural that 299 00:15:24.399 --> 00:15:27.799 could have been produced by life, but for which abiotic 300 00:15:27.840 --> 00:15:31.720 explanations haven't been completely ruled out yet. It signals that 301 00:15:31.799 --> 00:15:35.440 this warrants serious, focused further investigation. 302 00:15:35.720 --> 00:15:38.639 So It's like a very strong lead in a detective case, 303 00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:41.960 not the conviction, but something you absolutely have to follow 304 00:15:42.039 --> 00:15:42.240 up on. 305 00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:44.559 That's a good way to think about it. It's saying 306 00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:47.919 this looks promising, it smells like life based on what 307 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:49.919 we know from Earth. Now we need to do the 308 00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:52.240 really hard work to confirm or refute it. 309 00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:54.240 And that caution is crucial, right. You don't want to 310 00:15:54.279 --> 00:15:56.919 jump the gun on something this monumental. 311 00:15:56.399 --> 00:16:00.399 Absolutely essential. False positives can be incredibly damaging to the science. 312 00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:04.559 So the term potential is key. It acknowledges the evidence, 313 00:16:04.559 --> 00:16:06.679 but respects the high burden of proof. 314 00:16:06.440 --> 00:16:09.519 Needed, which brings us to the next logical question, how 315 00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:13.200 do you get from potential to proven? The rover's done 316 00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:15.080 amazing work, but it has limits. 317 00:16:15.519 --> 00:16:19.600 It does the instruments are incredible feats of engineering miniaturized 318 00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:22.840 labs on another planet, but they can't match the power 319 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:24.960 and sophistication of labs here on Earth. 320 00:16:25.039 --> 00:16:26.039 So to really nail this. 321 00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:29.600 Down, to really nail this down, to definitively distinguish a 322 00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:35.879 biotic from biotic, the overwhelming consensus is we need those 323 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:38.799 rocks back here on Earth. We need to bring Mars. 324 00:16:38.519 --> 00:16:42.279 Home, and perseverance has been collecting samples all along, as 325 00:16:42.279 --> 00:16:44.120 in it little cores of rock. 326 00:16:44.279 --> 00:16:48.080 Yes, diligently caching them for a potential future return mission. 327 00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:51.759 And crucially it collected one from this exact area from 328 00:16:51.799 --> 00:16:53.000 the bright Angel formation. 329 00:16:53.240 --> 00:16:56.840 That's right, a core sample names Sapphire Canyon. It's sealed 330 00:16:56.879 --> 00:16:59.799 in a tube safe on the rover, waiting, waiting for 331 00:16:59.799 --> 00:17:03.159 a ride back to Earth potentially. Yes, And this Sapphire 332 00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:06.519 Canyon sample is considered high priority for return. It's literally 333 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:08.720 a piece of this intriguing puzzle. 334 00:17:08.440 --> 00:17:11.920 Holding secrets from Bright Angel. That sample could be the key, 335 00:17:11.960 --> 00:17:12.519 couldn't it? 336 00:17:12.519 --> 00:17:16.079 It really could be. Bringing it back is well indispensable 337 00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:18.960 for the next phase. Earth labs have instruments orders of 338 00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:22.640 magnitude more sensitive and capable than anything we can realistically 339 00:17:22.680 --> 00:17:23.319 send to Mars. 340 00:17:23.400 --> 00:17:25.599 What kind of tests could we do here that Perseverance 341 00:17:25.640 --> 00:17:26.200 can't do there? 342 00:17:26.440 --> 00:17:29.519 Oh, a whole suite of things for starters. Isotopic analysis 343 00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:33.960 of the organic carbon life often prefers lighter isotopes, leaving 344 00:17:33.960 --> 00:17:37.359 a specific signature that's hard for abiotic processes to mimic. 345 00:17:37.720 --> 00:17:40.319 That could be a game changer. Okay, what else we 346 00:17:40.359 --> 00:17:44.640 could do? Incredibly detailed mineralogy, looking at the crystal structures, 347 00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:49.279 the tiny intergrowths between minerals, maybe even using electron microscopes. 348 00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:51.599 That tells you a lot about how they formed. Searching 349 00:17:51.640 --> 00:17:56.480 for specific molecules exactly, looking for complex biomarkers, molecules that 350 00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:59.559 are uniquely produced by life, much more specific than just 351 00:17:59.720 --> 00:18:04.079 organic carbon. And then the ultimate, although very difficult, searching 352 00:18:04.119 --> 00:18:07.839 for actual microfossils tiny shapes or textures that look like 353 00:18:07.880 --> 00:18:08.839 fossilized cells. 354 00:18:09.039 --> 00:18:11.640 Wow, and the temperature question. Can we test that more 355 00:18:11.640 --> 00:18:12.480 definitively here? 356 00:18:12.599 --> 00:18:15.960 Yes, absolutely, we could perform much more precise tests on 357 00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:19.359 the sample itself to determine the maximum temperature it ever experienced. 358 00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:23.039 If those tests confirm it stayed cool, that dramatically strengthens 359 00:18:23.079 --> 00:18:26.440 the case against high temperature abiotic formation for those sulfur minerals. 360 00:18:26.680 --> 00:18:29.960 So Sapphire Canyon isn't just a rock. It's potentially our 361 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:33.680 best chance to get the ground truth to really understand 362 00:18:33.720 --> 00:18:35.599 what happened in that ancient Martian lake. 363 00:18:35.799 --> 00:18:39.039 It represents our most direct path to potentially answering one 364 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:40.519 of humanity's biggest questions. 365 00:18:41.079 --> 00:18:44.359 So, stepping back a bit, we've gone deep into the 366 00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:48.279 geology the chemistry, the sample return. What's the bigger picture here, 367 00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:50.920 How does this Martian story connect back to Earth. 368 00:18:51.079 --> 00:18:53.880 It connects in a really profound way. Actually, doctor Tis 369 00:18:53.960 --> 00:18:57.640 highlighted this. He said, what's fascinating is how life may 370 00:18:57.640 --> 00:18:59.960 have been making use of some of the same process 371 00:19:00.119 --> 00:19:02.920 is on Earth and Mars at around the same time, the. 372 00:19:02.960 --> 00:19:05.839 Same processes around the same time. That's huge, it. 373 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:08.759 Is it suggests that the fundamental ways life harnesses energy, 374 00:19:08.920 --> 00:19:14.119 these metabolic strategies involving iron, sulfur, organic carbon, maybe they 375 00:19:14.119 --> 00:19:16.559 aren't unique to Earth. Maybe they're more universal, like. 376 00:19:16.519 --> 00:19:19.279 A common toolkit for early life wherever it might arise. 377 00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:23.559 That's the implication. If you have liquid water, the right chemicals, 378 00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:28.359 energy gradients, maybe life tends to find similar solutions. It 379 00:19:28.359 --> 00:19:32.680 could point towards convergent evolution or even just fundamental biochemical 380 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:35.279 pathways that work well in planetary environments. 381 00:19:35.559 --> 00:19:38.599 And the same time part, yeah, we're talking billions of 382 00:19:38.640 --> 00:19:40.720 years ago, right, Both planets. 383 00:19:40.359 --> 00:19:43.599 Were young, exactly roughly three to four billion years ago. 384 00:19:44.079 --> 00:19:47.799 Tiz points out, we see evidence of microorganisms reacting iron 385 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:50.279 and sulfur with organic matter in the same way, and 386 00:19:50.440 --> 00:19:51.640 rocks at the same age on. 387 00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:54.839 Earth, So It's not just a modern comparison. It's looking 388 00:19:54.920 --> 00:19:57.400 back to the dawn of life in the Solar System. 389 00:19:57.240 --> 00:20:01.000 Precisely, the idea that similar life support processes might have 390 00:20:01.079 --> 00:20:05.359 been happening concurrently on two different planets. It's incredibly powerful. 391 00:20:05.400 --> 00:20:07.599 It challenges the idea that life is some kind of 392 00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:08.759 cosmic fluke. 393 00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:11.680 It suggests maybe life is a more I don't know, 394 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:14.359 predictable outcome if the conditions are right. 395 00:20:14.519 --> 00:20:17.359 That's certainly one interpretation, and a very exciting one. 396 00:20:17.559 --> 00:20:20.880 But there's a twist, isn't there? Even if the processes 397 00:20:20.880 --> 00:20:24.160 were similar back then, we don't see these exact, same 398 00:20:24.279 --> 00:20:28.319 delicate features preserved perfectly in Earth's oldest rocks today. Why not? 399 00:20:28.920 --> 00:20:33.400 Ah, that comes down to geology. Earth is geologically very active. 400 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:34.680 We have plate tectonics. 401 00:20:34.759 --> 00:20:38.720