MOSCOW, July 26 NASA's Perseverance rover has found a rock on the surface of Mars that could have been home to microorganisms billions of years ago; further research is needed, the US space agency reported.
The rock, called Cheyava Falls, was discovered on July 21 in the Neretva Valley, the bed of an ancient river that once flowed into the Jezero Crater. 
«The rock contains chemical compounds and structures that may have been the result of life billions of years ago, when there was running water in the area the rover is exploring,» the release said.
NASA said multiple scans of Cheyawa Falls showed that the rock contains organic compounds. While such carbon-based molecules are considered the «building blocks of life,» they can also form through non-biological processes, the agency said.
NASA reported July 19 that the Curiosity rover had discovered crystals of pure sulfur on Mars. The department specified that it was discovered on the planet in its pure form for the first time, although the presence of minerals containing sulfur there has long been known.