A Mars rock analysis tool proved its mettle on a chance find from Arizona

Nicholas Heinz discovered a gray basalt rock in Sedona that unexpectedly mirrored a Mars rock containing possible signs of ancient life. The coincidence allowed his team to test a new analysis technique called optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy (O-PTIR), which uses dual lasers to identify chemical compositions at microscopic scales. This technology could help determine if organics in Mars samples originated from life when future missions return specimens to Earth, offering unprecedented detail compared to traditional analysis methods.