Mars and Life - CANCELED

While the Curiosity mission to Mars is not designed to test for life past or present, it is very much involved in determining whether Mars could have once supported life. And the answer coming back from Gale Crater is an unequivocal "yes." The Curiosity team determined that at Yellowknife Bay, but is continuing and broadening its search for habitable environments at Mount Sharp. The question now front and center is whether that habitability was local to Gale or may well have been widespread. Adding to the sense of exciting progress in the likely identification of Martian organic material at Gale -- what would be a first if fully confirmed. And as a backdrop to the search for life and life-supporting habitats on Mars is the understanding that if signs of ancient and distinctly Martian life are found, then the case for a universe filled with life increases dramatically.

Panel: Marc Kaufman, Nath Cabrol, Ross Beyer