NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover may have already sampled some Martian fossils, according to a September 10, 2025 study published in the journal Nature. Cheyava Falls, the Mars rock with signs of alien lifeNASA’s Perseverance rover discovered leopard spots on a reddish rock nicknamed “Cheyava Falls” in Mars’ Jezero Crater in July 2024. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSIn fairness to the Perseverance rover, this is exactly what it was built for. RELATED: Everything to Know About the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission: What it's Done, What's NextSince Perseverance landed on February 18, 2021, it’s been collecting samples of geologically interesting rocks, including one nicknamed Cheyava Falls. NASA first announced a 2020 Mars rover in 2012.