On March 5th 2020, astrobiologists from Berlin's Technical University and Washington State University, annouced that NASA's Curiosity Rover has discovered organic molecules called, thiophenes. Here on Earth, thiophenes are found in coal, crude oil, and truffles (mushrooms). The organic compounds were found in sediment samples taken from Mars' Gale Crater. The researchers studying the data have not yet made a claim that his is proof of life.
The scientists, Dr. Dirk Schulze-Makuch and Dr. Jacob Heinz, published their findings at Phys.org. They make the case that there are other pathways that could lead to a discovery of organic compounds, like the thiophenes found on Mars. They go on to say that such molecules found on Earth would mean the presence of biological processes. They state that it is possible for thiophenes to be formed by a thermochemical sulfate reduction, such as the result of an asteroid strike.
