Wet Chemistry

Despite how unappealing it may sound, wet chemistry carries the promise of discovering life on other planets. Instead of working in far-off galaxies, this one operates on nearby planets like Mars. The Curiosity Rover has been scouring Martian soil for the components of life using a tool called Sample Analysis at Mars, or SAM. Any organic substances that might contain elements like oxygen and nitrogen fall under this category.

Three chambers are used to test soil samples; in one, they can be baked, in another, they can be exposed to a range of solvents. As a result, several chemical compounds were found that a typical sample analysis would have missed. Of course, we didn't find life, but it gave us a lot clearer picture of what was there and undoubtedly may be helpful in the future. This method can be used once more in other contexts, such as on Saturn's moons like Titan.