NASA’s has uncovered rocks in a that may hold potential signs of ancient microscopic life, scientists reported Wednesday.

They stressed that in-depth analysis is needed of the sample gathered there — ideally in labs on Earth — before reaching any conclusions.

While acknowledging the latest analysis “certainly is not the final answer,” NASA’s science mission chief Nicky Fox said it’s ”the closest we’ve actually come to discovering ancient life on Mars."

, the rover cannot directly detect life, past or present. Instead, it carries a drill to penetrate rocks and tubes to hold the samples gathered from places judged most suitable for hosting life billions of years ago. The samples are awaiting retrieval to Earth — an ambitious plan that's on hold as .

Calling it an “exciting discovery,” a

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