Life on Mars

For years, humanity has been captivated by the idea of the red planet and the possibility of finding extraterrestrial life. With advancements in technology and space exploration, the search for life on Mars has become more realistic than ever before. In this stream, we will talk about latest discoveries and developments in our understanding of the Martian environment, and explore the potential for life to exist on this neighboring planet. We will also discuss why NASA or ESA would not be able to find life on Mars? How a new project 'ALFA Mars' will contribute in this endeavor?    

Guest info: 

Steven Benner Jan Špaček Catherine Maggiori Miguel Ángel Fernandez 

Episode links: 

Website Youtube Spotify Apple podcast Google podcast

Support ALFA Mars: 

Get involved

Follow Reason with Science: 

Website Youtube Spotify Apple podcast Google podcast

Timestamps: 

00:00:00 Introduction 

00:05:54 Why Mars is an important candidate for life? 

00:09:00 What kind of life are we looking at Mars? 

00:14:00 Is there water on Mars? 

00:17:33 Temperature ranges on Mars 

00:24:09 What type of microbes are present in Mars like conditions? 

00:26:14 Understanding Mars geology from meteorites 

00:38:23 How to avoid contaminating Mars? 

00:51:50 Assembly theory by Lee Cronin and Sara Walker 

00:59:20 Many microbe species live together, so why don't we see any biosignatures yet? 

01:04:04 Do we see any biosignatures on Mars? 

01:06:13 Panspermia on Mars 

01:09:46 Contribution of the Moon for origin of life 

01:15:48 ALFA Mars project and how to support it? 

01:25:28 Thank you!    

Music by: Ahmed Hassan (https://www.youtube.com/@2ays577/featured)