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MARS: THE LIVING PLANET
by Barry E. DiGregorio
ISBN: 1-883319-58-7
clothbound, color photos, $25
This highly readable "science story" examines in detail the evidence for and against the presence of life on Mars today—specifically, microbial life, as sought by the biology experiments of the 1976 Viking Mission to Mars, and as announced unexpectedly last August by NASA in regard to a Martian meteorite discovered in Antarctica. One of Viking's biology experiments, Gilbert Levin's Labeled Release experiment, produced intriguing results which some consider to be valid evidence for life. Martian meteorite ALH 84001—found in Antarctica and believed to contain fossilized bacteria from Mars—has made the Labeled Release data even more relevant to this important question of life on Mars. Upcoming explorations by Mars Pathfinder in the summer of 1997 and beyond should trigger even more speculation and investigation into the Mars life issue.
Mars: The Living Planet contains a thorough review of biology experiments carried out on Mars in 1976, with an emphasis on the work of Dr. Gilbert V. Levin. The author has done extensive interviews with Dr. Levin, and Levin himself supplies a provocative conclusion to the book with additional comments by Dr. Levin's Co-Experimenter, Dr. Patricia Straat. Dr. Levin continues to maintain that his experiment more likely than not discovered life on Mars in 1976. Advances in microbiology since that time seem only to bolster the case for life on Mars. In recent years microbial life has been found in places on Earth long considered unsuitable for life, such as hot deep sea trenches and subterranean rock environments. Given these discoveries, along with the evidence provided by Martian meteorites on Earth, what was once considered unlikely—microbial life on Mars—is now up for serious reconsideration. DiGregorio thoroughly explores all avenues in his relentless search for the truth about life on Mars, including social, religious and political obstacles. A fascinating overview of a subject that cries out for resolution!
This clothbound book contains dozens of photos, both black and white and color, as well as extensive references. The author's research and science are impeccable, but the book is made accessible to the average reader. To order, contact the publisher at the toll free number: 800-337-2665 (weekdays, 9 AM - 5 PM Pacific). Satisfaction guaranteed. Also available at your favorite local bookstore. |
