It was important to keep the jostling to a minimum, since the rover was still carrying a soil sample.

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Another experiment the team are carrying out involves taking a metre-deep soil sample, which co-researcher Rebecca Rowe describes as "quite unusual".

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In May Merck published details of a new antibiotic gleaned from a soil sample from South Africa after screening 250, 000 natural extracts.

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The rover was taking its first soil sample that week, but she was even more excited about the arsenal of instruments that she could use to analyze it.

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That instrument will determine the composition of the soil sample.

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She was required to get a permit retroactively, which eventually required payments to seven different County agencies and at one point required, for a reason she never understood, the collection and testing of a soil sample.

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The team will sample soil, water and air.

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