NASA scientists announced this week that a newly analyzed Martian rock contains the “clearest sign yet” of ancient life, though they quickly clarified it’s not exactly a fossilized alien skeleton, but more like chemical breadcrumbs suggesting microbes once paid rent on the Red Planet. The rock, discovered by the Perseverance rover, shows organic compounds and patterns that strongly hint at biology, or at least a very convincing prank by geology.
Officials at NASA beamed with cautious pride, saying it’s the most compelling evidence yet that Mars was once more than just a very cold sandbox. Conspiracy theorists, meanwhile, were disappointed that the rock didn’t spell out “Take me to your leader.”
Still, the agency called the find historic. Humanity may be inching closer to proving we’re not alone, though, given Earth’s current track record, the Martians were probably smart to go extinct early.
