Perseverance Measures Mars Dust Fine Enough to Reach Lungs and Brain

NASA's Perseverance rover has directly measured Martian dust for the first time, confirming that a significant fraction is below 2.5 µm and some particles reach 100 nm — small enough to enter the lungs and travel via the olfactory nerve to the brain. The PNAS study used PIXL's calibration plate and spacesuit material swatches collected over 1,645 sols in Jezero Crater.

• Particles under 2.5 µm reach alveoli; those under 100 nm can reach the brain
• Data came from 1,645 sols in Jezero Crater via PIXL and SHERLOC
• Teflon attracted ultrafine particles, Vectran preferentially about 2 µm
• Suit fabric choice determines which dust fraction astronauts carry indoors