UF’s Amy Williams is part of a team that developed a chemical experiment performed on the Curiosity Mars rover that used a chemical known as TMAH to break apart larger organic molecules so they could be analyzed by the Rover’s onboard instrument suite.

The experiment uncovered a mix of organic molecules, including a nitrogen-bearing molecule with a structure similar to DNA precursors and benzothiophene, a large, double-ringed, sulfurous chemical often delivered to planets by meteorites. “The same stuff that rained down on Mars from meteorites is what rained down on Earth, and it probably provided the building blocks for life as we know it on our planet,” says Williams.

• Amy Williams