It was quite nerve-wracking,' she says. Specimens like aragonite had to be cleaned with a laser. And some minerals, such as sulphur, are so sensitive that they can react to the slightest change in ...

NASA’s Curiosity rover has uncovered intriguing traces of sulfur crystals embedded in Martian rock formations, adding weight to the theory that ancient Mars may have supported microbial life. The ...

One particularly promising biosignature is the iron-sulfur mineral pyrite—"fool's gold"—which is abundant in hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor. Pyrite can either be formed directly or ...