Science
Joel A. Hurowitz
Perseverance geoscientist and study lead author
Also known as Joel Hurowitz
Who they are
Joel A. Hurowitz is a geoscientist involved in Perseverance’s investigation of Martian rocks. He led authorship of the 2025 paper on organic matter and mineral associations in Jezero Crater. The team’s analysis discusses possible biosignature relevance while stating that sensitive Earth-based measurements of a returned sample would be needed to determine the features’ origins.
His profile connects rover observations with the evidentiary challenge of evaluating possible ancient life on Mars.
Selected contributions
- Led the 2025 collaborative paper on Jezero’s mineral and organic associations.Source ↗Source 2 ↗
- Was credited with conceptualization, analysis, validation and writing among a larger research team.Source ↗
Selected works
Academic paper · 2025 · Peer-reviewed, open-access article; funding acknowledgements added September 22, 2025.
Redox-driven mineral and organic associations in Jezero Crater, Mars
The team examines organic-bearing mudstones and associated iron, sulfur and phosphorus minerals observed by Perseverance. The authors conclude that sensitive analysis of a returned sample would be needed to determine the origins of the minerals, organic matter and textures.
Reading scope & citation
Fresh abstract, authorship, affiliation, contributions and change-history passages; full methods and supplementary measurements not independently reviewed.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09413-0