The most complete list ever of Martian organic compounds compiled

Tissint meteorite

Source: © Ludovic Ferriere/Natural History Museum Vienna

Catalogue includes organic compounds from the five Martian meteorites that have been found on Earth

An international team of researchers has found that Martian meteorite Tissint, which landed in Morocco in July 2011, contains a ‘large diversity’ of organic compounds commonly associated with life. The scientists have assembled the most comprehensive catalogue to date of the various organic compounds found in the five Martian meteorites that have recovered on Earth since 1815, or in any sample retrieved by a Mars rover.