For decades, the search for life on Mars has been a story of hints and maybes, of chemical curiosities that stopped just short of a clear biological signal. That changed this year when a single, speckled rock in an ancient Martian river delta emerged as the strongest candidate yet for a true fossil-like signature.

When astronauts set foot on Mars, it will be one of humanity’s greatest milestones, marking the start of a new era of discovery on another planet. A new National Academies report identifies the highest priority science objectives for the first human missions to Mars and says searching for evidence of existing or past life on the planet should be the top priority.

A consortium of American scientists and engineers filed a report that stridently makes the case for putting boots down on Mars.

A new study released by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has set the stage for future human missions to Mars. Titled A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars,

James is a published author with multiple pop-history and science books to his name. He specializes in history, space, strange science, and anything out of the ordinary.View full profile James is a published author with multiple pop-history and science ...

A recent study spotted water carved cave openings in Mars Hebrus Valles region, hinting at sheltered places where signs of ancient microbes could survive.