NASA Finds Signs of Potential Ancient Life on Mars NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has discovered a variety of organic molecules, the carbon-based building blocks of life in 3.5-billion-year-old Red Planet rocks. A new study published in Science shows conclusive evidence for large organic molecules on the planet. “These results do not give us any evidence of life," Jennifer Eigenbrode, Study lead author "But there is a possibility that [the organics] are from an ancient life source; we just don't know. Jennifer Eigenbrode, Study lead author “And even if life was never around, they [the molecules] tell us there was at least something around for organisms to eat." Jennifer Eigenbrode, Study lead author