Rover sampling finds organic molecules in water-altered rocks on Mars – Ars Technica

Organic chemicals, primarily composed of carbon and hydrogen, underly all of life. They’re also widespread in the Universe, so they can’t be taken as a clear signature of the presence of life. That creates an annoying situation regarding the search for evidence of life on Mars, which clearly has some organic chemicals despite the harsh environment.

But we don’t know whether these are the right kinds of molecules to be…