Since its arrival on the Martian surface five years ago, NASA’s Perseverance rover has been busy scouring the Red Planet for signs of life and evidence of Mars’ watery history. Now, thanks to its continued exploration, NASA might know exactly where to look for evidence of life on Mars, and it all begins with quartz crystals.

NASA’s Perseverance rover has uncovered high-purity quartz crystals on Mars, a discovery that could reshape the search for ancient life on the Red Planet. The crystals, along with other minerals such as opal,

NASA’s Perseverance rover found large crystals of quartz with a high purity on Mars, which probably had to have formed in the presence of hot water

Scientists may finally have a way to detect ancient life on Mars by studying microbial fossils preserved in sulfate minerals. Gypsum deposits on Mars may be hiding evidence of past microbial life — similar to the first organisms that appeared on Earth four billion years ago.