Possible Biosignatures in Perseverance Rock Assessed Under the CoLD Framework, with Planned Follow-Up Studies

To the point

Researchers analyzing Perseverance’s Chevaya Falls rock from Bright Angel in the Neretva Vallis found iron phosphate nodules that resemble biosignatures but could be produced abiotically, suggesting redox energy for microbes, yet definitive proof requires applying the CoLD seven-step framework to rule out non-biological explanations and seek additional signals such as sulfur isotopes and organics’ isotopic patterns, with experts Michael Wong and Sara Walker cautioning against hype and abiotic false positives, NASA’s Mars Sample Return facing high costs and possible delays into the 2030s, and follow-up work on the Sapphire Canyon core and Earth-based analogs planned to test biological versus abiotic formation scenarios.