The red color of Aguas Calientes comes from algae, which must create their protection from the harsh ultraviolet radiation coming from the son. Credit: The High Lakes Project: The SETI Institute Carl Sagan Center/NASA Ames/ NAI
Could Mars, of all places, be the place to look for early life on Earth? It’s an intriguing thought and one that astrobiologists take seriously as they consider the conditions during the early days of Solar System when both planets experienced frequent bombardments by asteroids and comets that resulted in debris exchange between one body and the other.
Planetary scientist Nathalie Cabrol of the SETI institute discussed this topic and more in an April 2015 TED Talk.