What are Curiosity and Perseverance rovers currently seeking evidence of on Mars today?
Answer
Biosignatures indicating ancient microbial life from when Mars was wet
The modern focus in Martian exploration has fundamentally shifted away from seeking civilizations or canals toward identifying definitive proof of past or present microbial life. This search is predicated on the established knowledge that Mars once harbored liquid water. Missions like Curiosity and Perseverance are actively deployed to search for biosignatures—these are defined as chemical or structural traces—that would indicate microbial life existed during the earlier epochs when the planet was warmer and wetter billions of years ago. The goal is no longer debating the possibility of life, but locating preserved evidence of that hypothesized ancient habitation.
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