Did Life Begin on Mars? New Book Makes Some Bold and Fasctinating Claims

Steve Benner is one of the heavyweights of both theoretical and applied biology. A founder of the field of synthetic biology, he was the first person to synthesize a gene and one of the originators of the RNA-world theory of origin of life. He is also a successful biotech entrepreneur — relevant because his wealth has given him the freedom to speak freely, even when his views contradict NASA and other members of the scientific establishment. His terrific new book, Meet the Neighbors: Life on Mars and How to Find It, is an example of his doing just that: Benner pulls no punches in drawing powerful conclusions based on both his own research and an encyclopedic knowledge of the work of the astrobiology community. Assembling impressive evidence, Benner boldly argues that there is almost certainly life on Mars — and that life originated on the Red Planet before it appeared on Earth.

In its statements supporting its various Mars missions, NASA’s public relations department has always claimed that their purpose was to search for life. They’ve said this because they know that the possibility of extraterrestrial life is what the American people — quite rightly — are most interested in when it comes to Mars. Unfortunately, NASA has failed to follow through.

About the Author

Robert Zubrin

Robert Zubrin is an aerospace engineer and the author of twelve books, most recently The New World on Mars: What We Can Create on the Red Planet.

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Steve Benner is one of the heavyweights of both theoretical and applied biology. A founder of the field of synthetic biology, he was the first person to synthesize a gene and one of the originators of the RNA-world theory of origin of life. He is also a successful biotech entrepreneur — relevant because his wealth has given him the freedom to speak freely, even when his views contradict NASA and other members of the scientific establishment. His terrific new book, Meet the Neighbors: Life on Mars and How to Find It, is an example of his doing just that: Benner pulls no punches in drawing powerful conclusions based on both his own research and an encyclopedic knowledge of the work of the astrobiology community. Assembling impressive evidence, Benner boldly argues that there is almost certainly life on Mars — and that life originated on the Red Planet before it appeared on Earth.

In its statements supporting its various Mars missions, NASA’s public relations department has always claimed that their purpose was to search for life. They’ve said this because they know that the possibility of extraterrestrial life is what the American people — quite rightly — are most interested in when it comes to Mars. Unfortunately, NASA has failed to follow through.