Could life have begun on Mars? In this thought-provoking review, Dr. Robert Zubrin examines Dr. Steven Benner’s new book and its exploration of one of planetary science’s biggest questions. Meet Dr. Benner in person at the 2026 International Mars Society Convention, where he’ll deliver a plenary address, sign copies of his books, and join a special panel discussion on this fascinating topic.
By Dr. Robert Zubrin, National Review, 07.11.26
Steve Benner is one of the heavyweights of both theoretical and applied biology. A founder of the field of synthetic biology, he was the first person to synthesize a gene and one of the originators of the RNA-world theory of origin of life. He is also a successful biotech entrepreneur — relevant because his wealth has given him the freedom to speak freely, even when his views contradict NASA and other members of the scientific establishment.
His terrific new book, Meet the Neighbors: Life on Mars and How to Find It, is an example of his doing just that: 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. Assembling impressive evidence, Benner boldly argues that there is almost certainly life on Mars — and that life originated on the Red Planet before it appeared on Earth.
In its statements supporting its various Mars missions, NASA’s public relations department has always claimed that their purpose was to search for life. They’ve said this because they know that the possibility of extraterrestrial life is what the American people — quite rightly — are most interested in when it comes to Mars. Unfortunately, NASA has failed to follow through.
In point of fact, America’s space agency has not flown a life detection instrument to Mars since the Viking mission, which landed on the Red Planet almost exactly a half-century ago on July 20, 1976. Since that time, NASA has flown orbiters, stationary landers, and rovers to Mars. While these missions have obtained some very useful data on the Martian environment, none have attempted to look for life itself.
However, the Viking landers also carried a fourth instrument, known as a Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GCMS). The GCMS assessed the chemical composition of the soil, and it detected no organic material in Martian dirt. This came as quite a surprise to NASA’s scientists, because even if there was no life on Mars, they expected that some organics would be found — if from no other sources than meteorites, which frequently contain sturdy organic compounds known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that can survive impact.
To read the full book review by Dr. Zubrin, please click here.
[Image: NASA/JPL/CalTech]
