"A miniature detector could pick out magnetic rocks on Mars that might harbour telltale signs of ancient life.
The instrument could select rocks that contain a magnetic compound - magnetite - that is also produced by bacteria on Earth. The rocks could then be brought back to Earth for closer examination.
Other efforts to find signs of life on Mars have focused on organic molecules, but Soon Sam Kim of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, US, wants to look for crystals of magnetite like those made by terrestrial bacteria.
"Because it's just a mineral, it has a better chance of survival over billions of years," Kim told New Scientist.
John Miller, a physics professor at the University of Houston in Texas, US, who has worked on ways of finding life on Mars, says: "It looks like a very interesting idea - to look for signatures of these crystals on Mars directly."
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