NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has discovered seven organic compounds on Mars, five of which had never previously been identified. The discovery was made in rock that formed in a dried lakebed near the planet's equator, which could have formed through nonbiological processes. The researchers also found another organic compound similar to precursors to DNA. The experiment was conducted by the rover's Sample Analysis at Mars, or SAM, instrument. The findings suggest that if life ever arose on Mars bodies could have been a likely habitat, current and upcoming rover instruments should be able to detect it. The rover landed in the Gale crater in 2012 and conducted the experiment in 2020.