NASA finds possible clue for life on early Mars

NASA finds possible clue for life on early Mars

Assessment

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Science, Chemistry

11th Grade - University

Hard

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Astrobiologists from Washington State University and Technische Universitat in Berlin report that NASA's Curiosity Rover discovered organic compounds, possibly biofilms, in Martian soil. The Rover's instruments can only analyze chemical fragments, leaving the origin of thiophenes—found in coal, crude oil, and white truffles on Earth—uncertain. Thiophenes consist of carbon and sulfur, essential to life, but their Martian origin remains inconclusive. The study suggests bacteria might have existed on Mars 3 billion years ago, potentially influencing sulfur transformation into thiophenes.

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5 questions

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1.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What did NASA's Curiosity Rover discover in the soil samples on Mars?

Biofilms potentially produced by bacteria

Water molecules

Iron deposits

Methane gas

2.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

Where on Earth can thiophenes be found?

In volcanic rocks

In coal, crude oil, and white truffles

In the atmosphere

In ocean water

3.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What elements are essential to living organisms and are found in thiophenes?

Hydrogen and nitrogen

Iron and magnesium

Oxygen and phosphorus

Carbon and sulfur

4.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What is the structure of a thiophene molecule?

Three carbon atoms and two sulfur atoms

Five carbon atoms in a straight chain

Four carbon atoms and a sulfur atom forming a ring

Two carbon atoms and three sulfur atoms

5.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What role might bacteria have played on ancient Mars?

They might have created oxygen in the atmosphere

They could have contributed to sulfate reduction transforming sulfur to thiophenes

They might have formed large colonies visible from space

They could have produced methane gas