Nasa may have discovered signs of life on Mars - but it's not telling. Yet.

The space agency has reportedly found something of huge importance on the Red Planet, thanks to the latest samples gathered by the $2.5bn Curiosity rover, according to media reports which emerged on Tuesday.

The find is described as "one for the history books" - but Nasa is keeping its cards close to its chest.

It's checking and rechecking the data to make sure it's found... whatever it is that it's found, before making an announcement in December.

It is speculated that the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument may have found organic compounds, or evidence of the same, in a dirt sample. It is also possible the rover may have found proof of Methane in the Martian air - a sign that life once existed in some form on the planet.

"This data is gonna be one for the history books," Curiosity chief scientist John Grotzinger, of Caltech in Pasadena, told NPR. "It's looking really good."

This image taken by the Mast Camera on NASA's Curiosity rover highlights the geology of Mount Sharp, a mountain inside Gale Crater, where the rover landed.

This photo is from a test series of the 100-millimeter Mast Camera on NASA's Curiosity rover. It is looking south-southwest of the landing site and taken on Aug. 23, 2012.

Another test photo from the Mast Camera on NASA's Curiosity Rover. Again, it's looking south-southwest on Aug. 23, 2012. The gravelly area of the landing site is visible in the foreground.

The landing site is visibile here in this portion of a 360-degree color panorama along the heights of Mount Sharp.

Go here to read the rest:

Nasa Mystery As Martian 'Find For The History Books' Kept Secret... For Now