News Archive

Wednesday, March 26, 2003 Mars May Contain Frozen Life Dr. Christopher McKay speaks. Credit: NWAOnline.net Those of you who flew or drove over to the lecture Tuesday heard Dr. Christopher McKay talk about everything from frozen life to our favorite subject -- terraforming. Dr. McKay believes that Mars may contain frozen life from billions of years ago when it is believed to have been wet and warm. "What we need is more than fossils. Fossils are not enough," he said. Through frozen life, McKay thinks we would be able to gain insights into the deeper nature of life itself. He says that while robotic missions may find life, the real science required to understand how life evolved on Mars (or even if it did) will need to be done by humans on the planet. He also discussed how, through the release of fluorocarbons, we could change Mars back into what it was. Dr. McKay is one of the foremost experts on Mars, with many published research papers on the subject of terraforming alone. (More info: NWA News) @ 16:08 EST