Life on Mars: What to Know Before We Go

The quest to find life on Mars, a question that has captivated humanity for centuries, has taken on new urgency as NASA, SpaceX, and Mars One plan missions to the Red Planet. As we prepare for these missions, we must consider the potential life on Mars and our responsibility to invite ourselves in.

Author David Weintraub explores the history of the quest to answer this tantalizing question, tracing how our ideas about life on Mars have evolved through landers, rovers, telescopes, spectroscopy, and even a Martian meteorite. He delves into the potential implications of finding DNA-based life on Mars for our distant evolutionary past and grapples with the profound moral and ethical questions surrounding introducing ourselves into the Martian biosphere. Beyond the scientific aspects, Life on Mars also examines the impact of mass media on scientific research and public perception.

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