Meet the Neighbors
Life on Mars and How to Find It
$50.70
- Hardcover
416 pages
- Release Date
3 November 2026
Summary
A pioneering astrobiochemist argues that the 1976 Viking landers may already have found life on Mars — and shows how we can prove it.
Are we alone in the universe? Mars has always seemed where we were likeliest to find the answer. Yet, since the Viking landers touched down in 1976, no mission has returned to the Martian surface to search directly for life living there now. Instead, we’re searching the moons of outer planets, or the atmospheres of planets many light years away.
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780241808306 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0241808308 |
| Author: | Steven A. Benner |
| Publisher: | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Imprint: | Allen Lane |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 416 |
| Release Date: | 3 November 2026 |
| Weight: | 634g |
| Dimensions: | 37mm x 165mm x 243mm |
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Critics Review
Has NASA already found life on Mars? * Scientific American *
The most engaging popular science book I’ve read this year – Brian Clegg * Popular Science *
a bold claim well supported by this absorbing, convincing book … a captivating tale of misunderstood planetary biochemistry and its impact – Paul Marks * New Scientist *
If Benner is right - and there is extant life on Mars - the consequences could be colossal – Michael Segalov * Guardian *
Bravo to Benner, one of the world’s most accomplished chemists, for putting the possibility of extant Martian life back on the scientific agenda – Paul Davies, author of Quantum 2.0
[Benner] clearly explains the science and history, but most of all the machinations and philosophy of how science works … extremely enlightening – Kate Gardner * Physics World *
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 * National Review *
Robust, detailed and unapologetically argumentative – Stuart Clark * Astronomy Now *
In his terrific new book, Benner draws powerful conclusions … He assembles an impressive body of evidence to support his bold claim that there is almost certainly life on Mars and that, furthermore, life originated on the Red Planet before it appeared on Earth, and in all probability was the source of life here – Robert Zubrin, President of the Mars Society
Benner’s advocacy is needed, because for half a century the consensus among what he terms ‘the community’ has been that the planet shows no signs of life – David Honigmann * Spectator *
Steven A. Benner
Steven A. Benner is a chemist, synthetic biologist, paleogenetist, and astrobiologist. His work began at Harvard University and developed at the ETH Zurich and the University of Florida. Success in inventing medical and biotechnology products allowed him to found The Westheimer Institute for Science and Technology at the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution. Throughout his career, he has helped reshape the modern definition of life and the search for it beyond Earth. In 2023, he was awarded the Harold Urey Medal from the International Astrobiology Society for the study of the origin of life.
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