Space-heads have long known that Mars once had lakes, rivers and even oceans of liquid water, but thanks to recent analysis of core samples taken by NASA’s Perseverance rover in 2024, NASA is “highly confident” that they’ve discovered the smoking gun proving Mars was once teeming with microbial life.

According to NASA Administrator Sean Duffy, “the identification of a potential biosignature on the Red Planet is a groundbreaking discovery, and one that will advance our understanding of Mars.”

After a year of scientific scrutiny, a rock sample collected by the Perseverance rover has been confirmed to contain a potential biosignature. The sample is the best candidate so far to provide evidence of ancient microbial life on Mars. https://t.co/0BAO1dhMG8pic.twitter.com/JsOXgrNDmY

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— NASA Mars (@NASAMars) September 10, 2025

While NASA has cautioned people not to get ahead of themselves, confirming that the findings are “not proof of life itself,” the potential biosignatures are a step in the right direction when it comes to identifying life on other planets.