Quote:THE GIST
- A reanalysis of Mars Viking experiments shows the probes did find organics.
- The result was not initially understood due to the strong oxidation effects of a salt in the Mars soil known as perchlorate.
- A follow-up study on perchlorate-enhanced soil similar to what's found on Mars revealed fingerprints of combusted organics.


More than 30 years after NASA's Viking landers found no evidence for organic materials on Mars, scientists say a new experiment on Mars-like soil shows Viking did, in fact, hit pay dirt.

The new study was prompted by the August 2008 discovery of powerful oxygen-busting compounds known as perchlorates at the landing site of another Mars probe called Phoenix.