Signs of life on Mars, but NASA's future research is at risk.

The Perseverance rover has identified possible biological signatures in an ancient Martian rock, but budget cuts pushed by the Trump administration threaten to undo decades of research.

An announcement that should have shaken the scientific community has been overshadowed by internal turmoil at NASA. Published in Nature, the study reveals that Perseverance, exploring the Jezero Crater on Mars, has identified possible biosignatures in a rock dating back 3.5 billion years. According to Sean Duffy, Secretary of Transportation and current acting administrator of the agency, "this could be the clearest sign of life ever found on Mars."

Scientists emphasize that the observed structures—nicknamed "poppy seeds" and "leopard spots" due to the dark, circular shapes visible on the surface—resemble traces left by terrestrial microorganisms. However, they cannot be ruled out as the result of purely geological processes. "It's the kind of signal that on Earth would indicate a biological origin," explained Nicky Fox, director of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, "the equivalent of fossil remains."

For this reason, true confirmation can only be achieved by studying the samples directly on Earth, as Joel Hurowitz of Stony Brook University, lead author of the study, reiterated: "We need to bring these materials back to understand the process that generated these structures." Yet, even as historic results are being announced, the agency is under attack. The Trump administration has proposed a 47% reduction in the space sciences budget, a near-total cut in Perseverance funding, and the cancellation of the MAVEN and Mars Odyssey support missions. Even more serious, they want to halt Mars Sample Return, the mission that would have brought the samples collected by Perseverance back to Earth.

For many researchers, abandoning now would be tantamount to wasting years of work and investment. Casey Dreier of the Planetary Society speaks bluntly of "draconian cuts" that risk erasing the uniqueness of American space science just as evidence of past life on Mars is emerging. The internal debate within NASA reflects a deeper divide: prioritize scientific research through probes and rovers, or focus everything on returning humans to the Moon and, ultimately, Mars, so as not to cede the exploration sceptre to China and other powers.

Scientists warn that the risk isn't just abandoning missions already underway, but compromising the entire journey of discovery that has made NASA a symbol of excellence. "The contrast is stark: we are capable of achieving historic results and already see signs of extraordinary discoveries," Dreier says. "Yet the White House is proposing to abandon this effort. It would be an incalculable loss."