Florence COSPAR: Mars life evidence grows, but ExoMars and Perseverance must confirm

Evidence is growing that Mars may have hosted microbial life, but only direct samples can confirm it, scientists said at the COSPAR space conference in Florence. NASA's Perseverance rover has found minerals and complex organic material possibly produced by microorganisms, said Teresa Fornaro of Italy's INAF. Any life likely would have been underground microbes shielded from radiation. The ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, launching in 2028 and landing in 2030, will drill two meters deep. A 2024 Perseverance sample may contain biological traces, pending verification.