In a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Astrobiology<\/a> on Feb. 4, scientists analyzed data collected by NASA\u2019s Curiosity rover<\/a>. The scientists found that certain organic molecules preserved in ancient Martian rock could potentially be connected to the past presence of living organisms.<\/p>\n The molecules, known as long-chain alkanes, were discovered in a 3.7-billion-year-old mudstone formation inside Gale Crater. On Earth, similar carbon-based molecules are often associated with life-based processes.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n NASA\/JPL-CALTECH\/MSSS \/ HANDOUT\/Anadolu Agency\/Getty<\/p>\n While long-chain alkanes can be caused by chemical processes that are unrelated to living organisms, the researchers believe that they would have originally been present in too high a concentration to be explained merely by those processes alone.<\/p>\n However, the researchers caution that the discovery does not confirm the existence of past life on the Red Planet<\/a>.<\/p>\n The study\u2019s authors emphasized that alternative explanations remain possible, and that further missions and analysis will be needed to determine whether the molecules truly point to ancient life.<\/p>\n NASA\u2019s Curiosity rover launched in 2011 and has been exploring Mars since 2012, according to NASA.<\/a><\/p>\n The size of a car, Curiosity was NASA\u2019s largest and most advanced rover ever launched at the time, and it was launched to answer one main question: Could Mars have once harbored life?<\/p>\n The remote-controlled Curiosity rover is still active on Mars and continues to explore the planet\u2019s terrain, having traveled around a distance of 22 miles, per NASA.<\/p>\n![\"NASA's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/24c2e43433f9b55207cc8ad2051ac619.jpeg\"\/)
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover <\/p>\n