Under mountains that dagger the sky, a misfit caravan of Pakistani porters trudge towards K2 toting live chickens and lawn furniture for adventurers seeking an...

Families of severely disabled children across the country are worried about the future of crucial Medicaid payments they started receiving to provide care during the COVID-19 pandemic

European Union countries reached an agreement on an overhaul of the bloc’s power market after Germany and France

Nasa has discovered “diverse organic matter” on the surface of Mars, which could change our understanding of the red planet and the search for life in the universe. The Perseverance rover made the discovery in the Jezero Crater on Mars and a number of different explanations for the existence of the material have been posited. The materials could have been formed when water and dust interacted, or was dropped onto the planet by dust or meteors. Authors of the new study also refused to rule out that the materials are “biotic”, or came about due to the existence of life on the surface. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The findings could have a big impact on the continued search for alien life, with research into the organic matter on the surface telling us more about the existence of carbon sources on Mars. The Jezero crater has been explored by The Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (Sherloc) instrument on the rover since February 2021. The crater is the site of an ancient lake basin and all 10 target sites explored within it came back with signs of organic molecules. Even if the materials are not biological in origin, research into them could be crucial in the search for alien life, according to the researchers. “Not all organics are biological in origin. Observing spatial relationships between minerals and organics is necessary when evaluating organic origins and potential biosignatures. Everything we know of life on Earth is limited to what is preserved in the rock-mineral record. On Earth, biosignatures are found in certain minerals and some minerals are better at preserving organics than others,” said Ashley E Murphy, a researcher at the Planetary Science Institute and co-author on the new paper. “Mars may have had a similar early geologic history to Earth so we use our knowledge of life as we know it on Earth for where to look for potential evidence of past life on Mars. Mapping organics allows for a better understanding of if the Martian carbon cycle is similar to or different from Earth, and the potential of Mars to host life.” Writing in the Nature journal, the authors said: “Our findings suggest there may be a diversity of aromatic molecules prevalent on the Martian surface, and these materials persist despite exposure to surface conditions. “These potential organic molecules are largely found within minerals linked to aqueous processes, indicating that these processes may have had a key role in organic synthesis, transport or preservation.” The findings are published in a new article, ‘Diverse organic-mineral associations in Jezero crater, Mars’, in Nature. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Azerbaijan's prosecutor general says the country has issued an arrest warrant for former Nagorno-Karabakh separatist leader Arayik Harutyunyan

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Rory McIlroy says he is near the form he needs to win his first major title since 2014 after a mental health break to cope...

By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to consider fiscal 2024 defense spending legislation next

Nicole Smith and Chrishell Stause's feud looks like it will continue in 'Selling Sunset' Season 7

Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukrainian forces have taken the “initiative” after making gains outside the eastern city of Bakhmut as part of a wider counteroffensive. Stating that Ukraine is “advancing, albeit not as fast [as we would like]”, Mr Zelensky said: “We would all love to see the counteroffensive accomplished in a shorter period of time. But there is reality. Today, the initiative is on our side.” On the 501st day of the war, Ukraine is attempting to retake territory and villages that were captured by Russia not long after its invasion began, to the east and south of the country. Heavy fighting continues to rage in two southeast areas, deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said. This comes as a group of Western allies, including the US, the UK, France, and Germany have huddled in “frantic, last-minute” negotiations as they look to provide security assurance for Ukraine ahead of the Nato summit in Vilnius. And Vladimir Putin’s close aide Dmitry Medvedev has threatened to attack Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities in eastern Europe in retaliation over unconfirmed allegations on Telegram that Ukrainian forces tried to strike a nuclear power plant in Russia’s Smolensk with British missiles. Read More Biden touches down in UK as president expected to be challenged over cluster bombs at Nato summit Biden says Ukraine not ‘ready’ for Nato membership ahead of key summit Cluster bombs: What are the controversial explosives and why is Biden sending them to Ukraine? Why are Russian and Belarusian players allowed back at Wimbledon?

The Philadelphia 76ers once again failed to make it past the second round. Here are three teams Joel Embiid should request a trade to if he were to do so.The Philadelphia 76ers had long said to their fanbase: "Trust the process." While that mantra has been repeated every year, it has l...

The police unearthed copies of a book by Keffe D, the uncle of the prime suspect in Tupac Shakur's murder