Mystery Over Martian Biology Activity Lives On

Mark Carreau February 06, 2026
A self-portrait of NASA’s Curiosity rover taken on June 15, 2018, when a Martian dust storm had reduced sunlight and visibility at the rover’s location in Gale Crater. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
A self-portrait of NASA’s Curiosity rover in 2018 in Mars' Gale Crater.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
HOUSTON—A new research analysis of a sample of Mars gathered by NASA’s Curiosity rover and initially studied by onboard instrumentation has determined that non-biological sources once considered cannot fully account for the abundance of organic compounds detected, a Feb. 6 NASA Jet Propulsion...
Mark Carreau

Mark is based in Houston, where he has written on aerospace for more than 25 years. While at the Houston Chronicle, he was recognized by the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Foundation in 2006 for his professional contributions to the public understanding of America's space program through news reporting.

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