Radiation on Mars is less likely to kill you than sitting on your couch
Posted inLife on Mars Mars

Radiation on Mars is less likely to kill you than sitting on your couch

We have all heard that radiation on the Martian surface is dangerous to humans and that it would limit the extent of life there, both indigenous and transplanted. However, what is rarely mentioned is how dangerous the radiation is exactly. I will attempt to quantify this danger. In short: If you choose to forgo exercise and have a poor diet, you have a higher chance of premature death due to cancer than if you lead an otherwise healthy life but are exposed to Mars-surface radiation levels.
February 7, 2024Posted inLife on Mars, MarsNo Comments
Evolution is cleverer than you are
Posted inLife on Mars Mars

Evolution is cleverer than you are

Biology is very difficult to predict but surprisingly easy to bend to fit any observed results. Life on Mars might employ various pathways to generate energy and fix reduced carbon. Contrary to Steven Benner's claims, at least some of the potential pathways do not involve the generation of molecular oxygen.
November 17, 2023Posted inLife on Mars, MarsNo Comments
Why does the NASA Culture Still Get Viking 1976 Wrong?
Posted inLife on Mars Single Scoops

Why does the NASA Culture Still Get Viking 1976 Wrong?

Because one item of data from the 1976 Viking mission to Mars was misinterpreted, the NASA "consensus" has for a half century held that no life exists today on the surface of Mars. As is frequently seen in science, facts and logic have failed to dislodge this cultural belief. If we are ever to meet our neighbors, we must take matters into our own hands.
November 13, 2023Posted inLife on Mars, Single ScoopsNo Comments
Is NASA making itself irrelevant to the search for life in the cosmos?
Posted inAstrobiology NASA

Is NASA making itself irrelevant to the search for life in the cosmos?

NASA holds this week a workshop to consider looking (again) for existing life on Mars … but only 20 years from now. By then, humans may have been on Mars for a decade, thanks to Elon Musk, or (maybe) someone less interested in planetary protection. Thus, in 2042, detecting indigenous Martian life will likely be much more difficult. NASA will be too late.
March 23, 2022Posted inAstrobiology, NASANo Comments
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