QUESTION:
Is the Pathfinder able to analyze for complex molecules such as DNA or amino
acids? If the pathfinder could be equipped with an internal lab on a small
scale, it could determine the presence of proteins or amino acids.  The
internal lab would consits of simple chemical indicators like Lugol's or
Benedicts solutions. Then the probe could be programmed to test for a simple
positive or negative presence of the compounds in question. If it didn't
find anything, it could move on to another area for sampling.

ANSWER from Jack Farmer on July 22, 1997:
Unfortunately, Pathfinder is not instrumented to do that. This idea is out
there, however, and Prof. Jeff Bada at UC San Diego has developed an amino
acid detector for flight that is probably small and light weight enough to
have flown on Pathfinder. The real problem is one of sample aquisition and
preparation. Pathfinder has no way to pick up and deliver samples to such an
instrument. And that would have introduced a majorr expense to the already
financially burdened mission.

We have a pretty good idea that organics will not be found in Martian
soils (Viking could have detected them at one part in a billion and
found nothing at two different sites). In fact, the soil environment
is likely to be loaded with oxidants (probably peroxides) that would
quickly destroy any organics present. So to find organics, we must look
for them in the interiors of old rocks, specifically those formed when
Mars had a more reducing surface environment. Organics incorporated
into aqueous sediments (which later lithified to form sedimentary
rocks) would be protected from the later oxidizing environment and
preserved. That is how it works on Earth, which as you know, also
developed an oxidizing surface environment later in its history. It is
likely that some sort of  "organics detector" will fly to Mars in the
next decade. But my bet is it will be a spectroscopic intrument like
laser Raman, and not a GCMS as was used on Viking.