Jan. 14 – It’s an all Italian discovery that is destined to leave a mark. The breakthrough discovery regarding traces of biological fossils on Mars is reported in an article in the journal “International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences.” Three Italian researchers, led by Professor Giorgio Bianciardi of the Department of Medical Biotechnology at the University of Siena, alongside two colleagues from the National Research Council (CNR) – Vincenzo Rizzo and Nicholas Cantasano – analyzed photographs from NASA’s Opportunity rover, which has been on the Mars surface for more than ten years. The analysis led to the finding of formations with biological origins, in the fossil state. More specifically, researchers, studying photos of sedimentary rocks, found microstructures similar to stromatolites and other earthly microbialites (mineral structures that on our planet are built by colonies of microorganisms, such as unicellular algae). The research combined the geological skills of the CNR with the biological ones of the Siena researchers. “In this study, we selected and compared a large group of images of Earth’s microbialites to NASA’s Rover Opportunity images – explains Bianciardi – The similarity of the structures on Earth and Mars is truly remarkable. The calculated fractal parameters identify the perfect similarity between the Earth’s microbialites and the Martian images.”
