---
title: "NASA’s Curiosity rover finds fresh signs of ingredients for life on Mars"
description: "Using samples previously collected by the NASA rover Curiosity, scientists discovered evidence of nitrates in Martian rock: nitrogen compounds that are a crucial source of nutrients for living things."
date: "2015-03-24"
modified: "2015-08-13"
authors:
  - name: "Alex Klokus"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/alex-klokus"
url: "https://futurism.com/nasas-curiosity-rover-finds-fresh-signs-of-ingredients-for-life-on-mars"
categories:
  - "Astronomy"
  - "Mars"
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "space"
---

# NASA’s Curiosity rover finds fresh signs of ingredients for life on Mars

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- The scientists examined data from three samples processed by the Sample Analysis at Mars, or SAM, instrument, which is part of a formidable laboratory in Curiosity’s belly. They looked at samples pulled from three spots near its landing site: aeolian deposits from Rocknest and mudstone deposits from John Klein and Cumberland.
- A fresh analysis of the nitrogen compounds in these rocks further strengthens that idea. The rock samples were cooked in SAM’s oven and the resulting gases were analyzed. The researchers found a significant amount of nitric oxide, a compound that, before it was cooked, probably came from nitrates.
- Most nitrates on Earth are produced by living things, Stern said. But in the case of Mars, the team believes the nitrates were created during a “thermal shock,” such as a lightning strike or an asteroid impact. Among the next steps, she says, is to see whether whatever process that generated these nitrates is still happening on Mars.

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexklokus>)