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Ashwin Vasavada

Ashwin Vasavada

Curiosity Project Scientist, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

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Curiosity rover finds new class of organic molecules on Mars

New Capabilities

Leading the Curiosity science mission

For 14 years, the Curiosity rover has looked for organic molecules on Mars by heating samples in a tiny onboard oven. The method works, but it destroys fragile compounds before they can be identified. On April 22, 2026, NASA reported that a different technique—squirting a chemical solvent onto a Martian rock sample before heating it—revealed more than 20 organic molecules the rover had never seen before.

Updated 5 hours ago