NASA has found a Martian rock with what may be signs of life
Bringing it to Earth for further study will be complicated
As “The Martian”, Sir Ridley Scott’s film of Andy Weir’s novel, reaches its climax the world watches attempts to save Mark Watney, a NASA astronaut stranded on Mars, with bated breath. All of humankind, it seems, is united in its concern for a single life; crowds in America, Europe and China pay rapt attention to news coverage of the efforts to bring him home.
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This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Bring it home!”
From the September 13th 2025 edition
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