Unraveling the secrets of ancient Mars through formaldehyde

The new results indicate MarsThe ancient atmosphere, rich in formaldehyde, may have supported the creation of organic materials essential for life, highlighting the planet's potential for past habitability.

Organic materials discovered on Mars may have originated from formaldehyde in the atmosphere, according to new research, marking a step forward in our understanding of the possibility of past life on the red planet.

Scientists from Tohoku University investigated whether early atmospheric conditions on Mars had the potential to enhance the formation of biomolecules – organic compounds essential for biological processes. Their findings, published in Scientific reportsprovides interesting insights into the plausibility of Mars harboring life in its distant past.

Mars' habitable past

Mars today is a harsh environment characterized by extreme dryness and cold, but geological evidence points to a more hospitable past. About 3.8 to 3.6 billion years ago, the planet may have had a temperate climate, aided by the warming properties of gases such as hydrogen. In such an environment, Mars might have had liquid water, an essential ingredient for life as we know it.

A diagram showing the formation of formaldehyde (H2CO) in the warm atmosphere of ancient Mars and its transformation into molecules vital for life in the ocean. Credit: Shungo Koyama

The role of formaldehyde

The researchers investigated whether formaldehyde could have formed in the early Martian environment. Formaldehyde is a simple organic compound that plays a crucial role as a precursor to the formation of vital biomolecules through purely chemical or physical processes. These biomolecules, e.g Amino acids And sugars, serve as the building blocks of proteins and RNAEssential components of life.

Using an advanced computer model, the team simulated the likely atmospheric composition of early Mars to explore the possibility of formaldehyde production. The model is built on the assumption that the atmosphere is rich in carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide. Their simulations suggest that the atmosphere of ancient Mars could have provided a continuous supply of formaldehyde, which likely led to the formation of various organic compounds. This raises the intriguing possibility that organic materials detected on Mars could have originated from atmospheric sources, especially during the planet's first two geological periods.

Insights on ancient Mars and future research

“Our research provides important insights into the chemical processes that may have occurred on ancient Mars, and provides valuable clues about the possibility of past life on this planet,” says Shungo Koyama, lead author of the study. By revealing the existence of favorable conditions for the formation of biomolecules, the research expands our understanding of the planet's ancient ability to sustain life.

Next, the team plans to analyze the geological data collected by NASAMars rovers, with the aim of increasing their understanding of organic materials present early in the planet's history. By comparing the predicted carbon isotopes of ancient formaldehyde with data from Martian samples, they hope to get a better picture of the processes that shaped the planet's organic chemistry.

Reference: “Atmospheric formaldehyde production on early Mars leading to possible formation of biologically important molecules” by Shungo Koyama, Arihiro Kamada, Yoshihiro Furukawa, Naoki Terada, Yuki Nakamura, Tatsuya Yoshida, Takeshi Kuroda, and Anne-Karin Vandalee, 9 February 2024 , Scientific reports.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-52718-9