Was there once life on Mars? Scientists have been pondering this question for decades. Now, a recent discovery on the Red Planet is lending some credence to the possibility—or likelihood—that there was. 

NASA’s Perseverance rover has uncovered an intriguing black-and-white striped rock on Mars, dubbed “Freya Castle,” raising hopes about the planet’s ancient habitability. 

Found in the Jezero Crater, the eight-inch rock stands out for its striking zebra-like pattern. Experts say it may have been formed through volcanic or metamorphic activity, both of which could suggest Mars once had the right conditions for life.

“This possibility has us excited,” wrote Athanasios Klidaras, a Purdue University scientist, in a NASA blog. 

The discovery adds to a growing body of evidence that Mars’ past might have been more geologically complex than previously thought, with environments that could have supported microbial life.

Katie Stack Morgan, a deputy project scientist for Perseverance, said the rock’s stripes could be made up of minerals such as feldspar and pyroxene, which form under conditions that may have supported life billions of years ago. 

“We don’t know where it came from or how it got there, but it adds another piece to the puzzle,” Morgan told Mashable.

Perseverance has been exploring the slopes of Jezero Crater, a site scientists believe once held a river that flowed into a lake, making it a prime location for the search for signs of life. 

While researchers don’t yet know the exact origin of the zebra-striped rock, they hope to find more rocks like it as the rover continues its climb.

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