Film, Video Martian Mud: Recent Discovery of Organic Matter on Mars
Transcript:
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About this Item
Title
- Martian Mud: Recent Discovery of Organic Matter on Mars
Summary
- Jennifer Eigenbrode discussed NASA's Curiosity rover's recent discovery of organic carbon molecules, some of the building blocks of life, in mudstones from a 3-billion-year-old Martian lakebed. She discussed how it might have been preserved and what the source might be.
Event Date
- September 12, 2019
Notes
- - Jennifer Eigenbrode is an interdisciplinary astrobiologist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. She specializes in organic biogeochemistry of Martian and ocean world environments. Eigenbrode received her undergraduate degree in geology at James Madison University, her master's in geological sciences at Indiana University in Bloomington, and her doctorate in geosciences from Penn State. As a sample analysis at Mars Collaborator and participating scientist for the Mars science laboratory mission, she has focused on the in situ detection and preservation of organic molecules in the radiated sediments at the Martian surface. Her work aims to improve planetary mission design, contamination control and instrument measurements that will enable the search for life beyond Earth.
Running Time
- 55 minutes 41 seconds
Online Format
- video
- image
- online text