Study of Moroccan Martian Meteorite Suggests Ancient Life on Mars

An international team of researchers led by Philippe Schmitt-Koplin, professor at the Technical University of Munich and Helmholtz Munich with the participation of Hasnaa Chennaoui Aoudjehane, professor at the University Hassan II of Casablanca UH2C, Faculty of Sciences, Ain Chock FSAC, president of ATTARIK Foundation (All Together Taskforce for Advancing Research Innovation and Knowledge) conducted a study on the Martian meteorite that fell in Morocco in July 2011, allowing to understand if the planet Mars has in the past hosted a form of life, but also to better apprehend the geological history of the earth.

"Mars and Earth share many aspects of their evolution," says researcher Schmitt-Kopplin. "While life has appeared and thrived on our home planet, the question of whether it has ever existed on Mars is a very hot research topic that requires a deeper knowledge of water, organic molecules and reactive surfaces of our neighboring planet," he continues.

This study presents the most comprehensive catalog ever made of the diversity of organic compounds contained in a Martian meteorite. It shows a link between the specific mineralogy of the meteorite and the unprecedented diversity of organic compounds it contains. The abundance of magnesium organic compounds in the Tissint meteorite is one of the remarkable elements noted. "A suite of organic molecules never seen on Mars that offer new insights into high and temperature geochemistry," the study points out.