‘Poppy seeds’ and ‘leopard spots’ on Mars could hint at ancient microbial life

since most on r/space has problem researching a piece of news and just go by what a headline says or skim through a web article. here is the source of the research and conclusion presented this Wednesday.

https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2025/pdf/2133.pdf

Conclusions: Poppy seeds and leopard spots are plausible products of sequential iron and sulfate reduction driven by the oxidation of organic matter under shallow burial conditions and at reduction rates known to be catalyzed by terrestrial microorganisms. In contrast, they are not plausible products of exogenous sulfide or sulfide produced locally by abiotic processes. Although other potential abiotic mechanisms should be investigated, this analysis suggests that biological metabolisms are the most likely processes currently proposed for formation of these unique features.