Life on Mars – Page 2 – The Primordial Scoop

Assembly Theory and Agnostic Life Finding

Agnostic life finders can either look for molecules that are necessary for Darwinian evolution, or molecules that require Darwinian evolution to make. Assembly Theory promises to resurrect the second strategy after years of failure. Can it?

By Steven A. Benner March 24, 2023Life on Mars3 Comments

Astrobiology Life on Mars

New project to find existing life on Mars before humans arrive

ALFA Mars (Agnostic Life Finding Association – Mars) is a group of scientists, engineers, science communicators, and volunteers with a goal to determine whether indigenous life is present on Martian surface before the first crewed mission arrives there.

By Jan Spacek August 8, 2022Astrobiology, Life on MarsNo Comments

Astrobiology Life on Mars NASA

How to Search for Life on Mars

This post provides additional discussion and references for How to Search for Life on Mars (Robert Zubrin, Steven Benner, and Jan Spacek, submitted to Scientific American)

By admin April 21, 2022Astrobiology, Life on Mars, NASANo Comments

Astrobiology Life NASA

2022 State of NASA Address: Astrobiology at NASA no longer looks for life on Mars

NASA gave up on looking for life on Mars, while planning to irreversibly biologically contaminate its surface. It is now up to private philanthropists to support life searching missions, while Mars is still biologically pristine. We know how to do it.

By Jan Spacek April 1, 2022Astrobiology, Life, NASA1 Comment

Astrobiology 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.

By Steven A. Benner March 23, 2022Astrobiology, NASANo Comments

Astrobiology Life on Mars Single Scoops

Benzoic acid on Mars. A 20 year old prediction come true?

Millan et al. just reported the discovery of benzoic acid in the dunes on Mars. Remarkably, benzoic acid was predicted 20 years ago to be on Mars as a product of organics falling to Mars via meteorite. And possibly ... life. Simply by understanding basic organic chemistry.

By Steven A. Benner November 4, 2021Astrobiology, Life on Mars, Single ScoopsNo Comments

Life 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.

By Jan Spacek February 11, 2021Life on MarsNo Comments

Life 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.

By Jan Spacek February 11, 2021Life on Mars1 Comment