NASA just scored a badly needed win: The best potential evidence of alien life yet

The Cheyava Falls rock especially needs the extra studying.

“This rock is also one of the most complex rocks we’ve seen on the surface of Mars. There is a lot going on in this rock,” Stack Morgan said.

Is it aliens? Check the CoLD scale

For now, this discovery is just a “step one” on the seven-step “confidence of life detection” (CoLD) scale.

The CoLD scale is a rough rating of scientific confidence in any potential alien-life discovery.

“We’ve taken us up to the start of that scale, and I think that’s what the rover was sent to Mars to do,” Stack Morgan said.

A possible biosignature can climb to higher levels of confidence as evidence builds. For example, if scientists can confirm that known non-biological processes didn’t create the leopard spots, the Cheyava Falls rock might ascend to step two or three.

But they need to get the sample to Earth first. And NASA needs to figure out how to do that.

“We’re hoping that our most recent sample can play into the conversation about whether this effort is worth it,” Stack Morgan said. “And we believe that it is.”