Category: Life on Mars

The Curious Case for Methane on Mars, methane and active organics discovered on Mars (Issue #32)

  By:  Nicole Willett On December 16, 2014 at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco, a panel of scientists working on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity Rover data announced what we have all been waiting decades to hear.  John Grotzinger stated unequivocally, “…there is methane occasionally present in the atmosphere of Mars

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Terraforming Mars (Issue #24)

By:  Nicole Willett The Sun has an approximate lifespan of ten billion years.  Most scientists believe we are about halfway through that life span.  Recently scientists have stated that the Sun will begin its death throes in about 2.8 billion years.  If humans behave in a way conducive to the health of the planet and

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Why Could We Be Descendants of Martians? (Issue #22)

By: Dr. Steven Benner and Nicole Willett For many years, scientists have considered the model that life originated on Mars and was transported to Earth, rather than originating on Earth.  This model turns on answers to the question: What molecular structures are necessary for biology to “switch on”, moving from an inanimate state to a

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Will Drilling Find Extant Life on Mars? (Issue #21)

by: Nicole Willett I recently attended the online NASA/JPL Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) meeting that was held on July 23, 2013. The meeting’s purpose was to discuss the Mars 2020 rover and many other Mars exploration issues. Many people wonder why NASA keeps sending rovers to Mars without stating that they will unequivocally

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What is Life and Will Curiosity Find it on Mars? (Issue #14)

by: Nicole Willett The definition of what life is has eluded scientists for many generations… This is partially due to the many extreme organisms that have been found that push the traditional boundaries outward in every direction.  What is a virus? It can reproduce, but it is considered not to be life because it must

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