Martianite! Call it martianite, me’lord!
“However, scientists must also find it on Earth to officially recognize it as a new mineral.”
Can someone smarter explain this to me?
Without having a physical sample, they can’t know for an absolute fact that there wasn’t some unknown variable, or error, leading to that special analysis. That’s my interpretation, glad to be corrected if wrong.
I think “spectral analysis” means they’re going by imagery. They don’t have actual samples. But yeah, it doesn’t fully explain it.
I assumed they were using some form of spectroscopy, but dunno how that would work in this context
Doesn’t that probe have an onboard gas spectrometer?
Ok. I’m out of my depth.
It’s based on the definition of mineral, it must be naturally occurring. New lab made substances that aren’t naturally occurring are just compounds.
