Intriguing Meteorite From Mars Reveals 'Huge Organic Diversity', Scientists Say - ScienceAlert

What makes Tissint intriguing is the presence of a "huge organic diversity", as noted in the study, which could help scientists better understand if life ever existed on Mars, and even the geologic history of Earth, as well.

"Mars and Earth share many aspects of their evolution," Dr. Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin, who is the director of the research unit Analytical Biochemistry at the Technical University of Munich, and lead author of the study, said in a statement.

"Understanding the processes and sequence of events that shaped this rich organic bounty will reveal new details about Mars' habitability and potentially about the reactions that could lead to the formation of life," Dr. Andrew Steele, who is a staff scientist at Carnegie Science, a member of the Mars Sample Return Campaign Science Group for NASA's Perseverance rover, and a co-author on the study, said in a statement.

Tissint has a total weight of 7 kilograms (15 pounds), and is currently the fifth meteorite classified as being of Martian origin, with a 2012 study estimating it was ejected from Mars approximately 700,000 years ago from some type of violent event.

(NASA)Tissint draws some parallels with one of the most famous meteorites of Martian origin found on Earth, ALH 84001, which was the subject of much scrutiny in the late 1990s when it was initially believed to contain microfossils, findings that since been rendered inconclusive.

"ALH 84001 was one of the most studied Mars meteorites because it was found in Antarctica and thus was 'conserved' in the ice with low contamination," Dr. Schmitt-Kopplin recently told Universe Today.