Mars rover unearths rocks that hint at ancient life

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NASA's Mars rover Perseverance has uncovered rocks in a dry river channel that may hold potential signs of ancient microscopic life, scientists reported Wednesday.

They stressed that in-depth analysis is needed of the sample gathered there by Perseverance - ideally in labs on Earth - before reaching any conclusions.

Roaming Mars since 2021, the rover cannot directly detect life, past or present.

Instead, it carries a drill to penetrate rocks and tubes to hold the samples gathered from places judged most suitable for hosting life billions of years ago.

The samples are awaiting retrieval to Earth - an ambitious plan that's on hold as NASA seeks cheaper, quicker options.

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