Organic Chemistry

NASA's Curiosity Rover found promising organic chemicals on Mars

NASA's Curiosity rover has detected over 20 organic molecules, including complex compounds like naphthalene and benzothiophene, preserved in 3.5-billion-year-old Martian sandstones. This discovery, made using a novel wet chemistry experiment, adds to the evidence that the foundational elements of life may have existed on ancient Mars and that organic material can survive for billions of years.