Ribonucleic acid is formed by percolating ribonucleoside triphosphates through basalt glass
Posted inLife on Mars Origin of Life Single Scoops

Ribonucleic acid is formed by percolating ribonucleoside triphosphates through basalt glass

This simple reaction is the last step in a modeled "discontinuous" process that moves from sulfite- and borate-stabilized carbohydrates, a post-impact atmosphere, and rock species delivered from basalt glass, all of the way to what might be the process forming what might have been the first genetic molecules on Earth ... and Mars.
June 4, 2022Posted inLife on Mars, Origin of Life, Single Scoops1 Comment
How the Agnostic Life Finder (ALF) Searches for Life on Mars
Posted inLife on Mars

How the Agnostic Life Finder (ALF) Searches for Life on Mars

Here, we describe an Agnostic Life Finder (ALF) that is able to look for life in water throughout the Solar System. ALF uses electric fields to extract alien genetic molecules from water. This water will be mined in large volumes during in situ resource utilization (ISRU), to generate fuel before the first humans arrive to create large scale environmental perturbation.
February 11, 2021Posted inLife on MarsNo Comments
The Search for Life on Mars Must Start Now
Posted inLife on Mars

The Search for Life on Mars Must Start Now

According to planetary protection guidelines, manned Mars missions could be a severe biological hazard. At the same time, Mars will soon be accessible for those who might choose not to follow these guidelines. If we are serious about planetary protection, we must know if life is present on Mars before humans land there.
February 11, 2021Posted inLife on Mars1 Comment
The Race to Put the First Humans on Mars
Posted inLife on Mars

The Race to Put the First Humans on Mars

Short of a global apocalypse, we can expect people living on Mars by the year 2050 and if everything runs smoothly, humans will be a multiplanetary species in the 2030s. Several national agencies and private companies declared their interest in landing humans on Mars. This article reviews their programs.
February 11, 2021Posted inLife on Mars6 Comments
Synthetic Biology Suggests a Universal Sign of Life in the Chemistry of Genetic Molecules
Posted inLife on Mars Synthetic Biology

Synthetic Biology Suggests a Universal Sign of Life in the Chemistry of Genetic Molecules

We cannot assume that life elsewhere in the universe will resemble terrestrial life, even at the molecular level, but this presents a problem: how will we recognize the signs of alien biochemistry if we find them? Synthetic biology provides an answer. Regardless of where it lives, complex life must be able to chemically encode large, diverse bodies of information, and only molecules with certain readily observable chemical properties can do this. Look for these molecules, and you'll find life.
February 8, 2021Posted inLife on Mars, Synthetic BiologyNo Comments
Cooking Lasagna Glaciers on Mars
Posted inLife on Mars

Cooking Lasagna Glaciers on Mars

The mid latitude Martian subsurface layered ice, the Martian Lasagna, could be the best place to look for life on Mars. Here, layers of ice, few inches thick are separated by thin layers of dust - creating chemical gradients and bringing nutrients, water and life together. Here is how the Martian Lasagna is made.

January 20, 2021Posted inLife on Mars1 Comment