A new study published in Science provides clear evidence of organic matter on…

A new study published in Science provides clear evidence of organic matter on Mars’s surface. NASA’s rover Curiosity collected the data, confirming earlier findings that Mars once had carbon-based compounds essential for life. These organic molecules were found in Gale Crater, an area that may have been a lake over three billion years ago. The rocks containing the organics also had sulfur, which might have preserved them despite harsh surface radiation. While the presence of organic molecules doesn’t prove ancient life—since they could form through non-living processes—it is a significant discovery. About five years ago, Curiosity also detected methane, a basic organic molecule and natural gas component, in the Martian atmosphere. Methane only lasts a few hundred years, suggesting an unknown source replenishes it. Its levels fluctuate seasonally, possibly due to underground icy crystals releasing gas.

These findings indicate Mars is more active than thought and might be becoming more habitable. Future missions, like ESA’s Exo Mars and NASA’s Mars Rover, aim to explore the soil and atmosphere further, potentially answering if life ever existed on Mars.

Q. What is the antonym of the word “preserved” as used in the passage?