Big Picture Science – Sunday 8 AM

Mad About Mars
Tantalizing evidence of life in rock

Long before Orson Welles provoked a panic with his 1938 radio broadcast of a Martian invasion in War of the Worlds, we were fascinated with the possibility of life on the Red Planet. We may be a step closer to finding it after the Perseverance rover turned up tantalizing evidence of possible ancient life in the form of mineral deposits in a Martian rock. But to be sure, we need to test that rock sample in a lab here on Earth, and the NASA Mars Sample Return Mission has been suspended. Still, our passion for our favorite inhabited world has not diminished. From the latest possible biosignature, to the supposed canals on Mars, to how the early 20th century Martian craze influenced vaudeville, we consider the many ways we are Mad About Mars.

Guests:

Janice Bishop – Senior research scientist at the SETI Institute.

Adam Frank – Astrophysicist at the University of Rochester

David Baron – Author of “The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn of the Century America”

Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake

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Your Big Picture Science Hosts

Seth Shostak Host and Producer, Big Picture Science – Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute

Molly Bentley Executive Producer and Co-Host, Big Picture Science 

About Big Picture Science:

Big Picture Science is a weekly, one-hour radio show and podcast produced at the SETI Institute. Hosted by Seth Shostak, SETI Institute Fellow and Senior Astronomer, and science journalist Molly Bentley, Big Picture Science reports on modern science and technology with smart and humorous storytelling.

Themed episodes feature interviews with top scientists and technology innovators. All episodes try to answer the question, “so what?” Why does this research matter?

Big Picture Science topics range from the microbiome to virtual reality, from the physics of motion to the intelligence of animals. Every month one episode is devoted to critical thinking in “Skeptic Check”, which separates fact from fiction in topics such as Bigfoot and UFOs.

And of course we cover science related to the work of the SETI Institute.