Perseverance finds potential biosignatures in Jezero Crater

Perseverance finds potential biosignatures in Jezero Crater

NASA’s Perseverance rover has made one of its most intriguing discoveries yet in Jezero Crater. A rock sample called Sapphire Canyon, drilled from the Bright Angel formation, contains unusual chemical and mineral patterns that may be potential biosignatures.

We begin with remarks from Morgan Cable, research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and co–deputy principal investigator of the PIXL instrument on Perseverance, in a video released alongside NASA’s September 10, 2025 announcement. Then, host Sarah Al-Ahmed speaks with Joel Hurowitz, associate professor of geosciences at Stony Brook University and deputy principal investigator of the PIXL instrument on Perseverance, who is also the lead author of the new Nature paper detailing the findings. Hurowitz explains how textures nicknamed "poppy seeds" and "leopard spots" connect organic carbon with minerals like vivianite and greigite, and why these could represent some of the most compelling evidence yet for ancient microbial life on Mars.

Finally, in this week’s What’s Up, Bruce Betts, The Planetary Society’s chief scientist, joins Sarah to explore earlier moments in the history of Mars exploration when tantalizing hints of life sparked scientific and public excitement.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-perseverence-biosignatures

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Book Club Edition: MOONS: The Mysteries and Marvels of our Solar System by Kate Howells

Book Club Edition: MOONS: The Mysteries and Marvels of our Solar System by Kate Howells

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19 Joulu 202559min

Galileo at 30: How a mission transformed our understanding of Jupiter

Galileo at 30: How a mission transformed our understanding of Jupiter

Thirty years ago, NASA’s Galileo spacecraft became the first mission to orbit Jupiter, opening a new chapter in our exploration of the outer Solar System. Over eight years around Jupiter, Galileo tran...

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Space Policy Edition: The Moral Case for Space Science

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Inside the 2025 Mars Society Convention

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The 2025 International Mars Society Convention convened at the University of Southern California this October for three days of passionate discussion about humanity’s future on the red planet. Speaker...

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ESCAPADE begins its journey to Mars

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Smart Girl Dumb Questions: Casey Dreier answers why space is worth it

Smart Girl Dumb Questions: Casey Dreier answers why space is worth it

This week on Planetary Radio, we’re sharing a special conversation from our friends at the Smart Girl Dumb Questions podcast. Host Nayeema Raza sits down with The Planetary Society’s Chief of Space Po...

26 Marras 20251h

Book Club Edition: The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America by David Baron

Book Club Edition: The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America by David Baron

There was a time when almost everyone, from Alexander Graham Bell to the Wall Street Journal, believed there was a supremely intelligent civilization on Mars, one that was probably trying to talk to E...

21 Marras 20251h 3min

Epic Spaceman: Making cosmic scale human

Epic Spaceman: Making cosmic scale human

When his filmmaking career stalled during the pandemic, Toby Lockerbie turned to the one place that had never stopped inspiring him: the Universe. With no background in visual effects, he taught himse...

19 Marras 202559min

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