Mysterious purple coating found on Mars rocks

 

Alexander Dallendorfer

1/13/21

Ippolito Core Chemistry

Current Event 10

 

Mysterious purple coating found on Mars rocks

By Maya-Wei-Haas

National Geographic

January 13, 2022

 

            As reported in the January 13th, 2022 National Geographic article “Mysterious purple coating found on Mars rocks” by Maya-Wei-Haas a recent discovery by the Perseverance Rover may point to more signs of potential life on the red planet.

The article discusses the discovery of a purple coating on Mars rocks. Ann Ollia, a geo-chemist at Los Alamos National Laboratory states “The color touches rocks of all different shapes and sizes—even tiny pebbles haven't escaped the pops of purple. But how, exactly, did these coatings form? "I don't really have a good answer for you,” which showcases that while this could be seen as evidence of life on Mars we still don't know enough about this coating or Mars to see whether this is a naturally occurring phenomenon or not.

The author, Maya-Wei-Haas makes sure to present the information in a way that gives us all the information about this important discovery while stressing the limited information we know.

Citations

Wei-Haas, Maya. “Mysterious Purple Coating Found on Mars Rocks.” National Geographic, National Geographic, 13 Jan. 2022, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/mysterious-purple-coating-found-on-mars-rocks.