logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2018
27m 40s

Is there life on Mars?

Bbc World Service
About this episode
It’s the central question for the current generation of Mars missions. Since the first close-up pictures of the red planet back in 1965, decades of space missions have revealed our neighbouring planet to be cold, rocky and sterile. But there are hints of a more dramatic past; of raging volcanoes and flash floods. Could this be a planet where life existed? Co ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
Are atoms immortal?
Atoms are the building blocks of our world. Many have been around since right after the Big Bang created the universe nearly 14 billion years ago. And if life on Earth is made of atoms that are from all the way back then... will those atoms keep existing forever? That’s what Crow ... Show More
26m 28s
Oct 3
Why are some animals black and white?
Listener Jude in Canada wants to know why some animals are black and white. Why do zebras risk being so stripy? Why do pandas have such distinct marking? And do they have something in common? Presenter Caroline visits Pairi Daiza, a zoo in Belgium. Together with her guide for the ... Show More
27m 2s
Sep 26
Answers to even more questions
Sometimes in science, when you try to answer one question it sparks even more questions. The CrowdScience inbox is a bulging example of that. We get tons of new questions every week and many of those are following up on episodes we’ve made. Sometimes you want us to go deeper into ... Show More
26m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2021
The Martian Mission
What would it take for humans to live permanently on Mars? asks Martin in Weston-super-Mare, UK. The doctors dig into requirements and possibilities of a long-term Martian outpost. We know that many missions to Mars have failed, for a range of reasons – malfunctions, crashes and ... Show More
27m 30s
Feb 2021
Mars Gets Ready for Its Close-up
Mars Gets Ready for Its Close-up Mars has fascinated Earthlings for millennia, ever since we looked skyward and found the red planet. Through telescopes, probes, and robots, scientists have gazed at its red rocks, craters, and canyons—and the latest rover, Perseverance, is poised ... Show More
29m 43s
Oct 2016
Life on Mars? Quantum Gravity. The deep origins of bird song
Mars is about to be visited by the first space mission for 40 years which is designed to seek signs of life on the Red Planet. Adam Rutherford talks to Dr Manish Patel of the Open University, a senior scientist on the European Space Agency's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. Once the sp ... Show More
29m 13s
Jun 2021
Life on Mars Pt. 2
Twenty years after NASA landed the first rover on Mars, theorists believe there’s more to the Red Planet than reported. Has NASA uncovered hints of an ancient civilization? Did our ancestors receive help from the Martians? Or better yet, is man already colonizing Mars? Learn more ... Show More
44m 11s
Feb 2021
Sounds of Mars
On February 18, 2021, NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover completed its 300 million mile journey and landed safely on the Red Planet. Here’s what it heard. This special episode of NASA’s Curious Universe features the first-ever raw recorded sounds from Mars. Jim Green, David Gruel and ... Show More
15m 48s
Mar 2024
The Sunday Read: ‘Can Humans Endure the Psychological Torment of Mars?’
That people will travel to Mars, and soon, is a widely accepted conviction within NASA. Rachel McCauley, until recently the acting deputy director of NASA’s Mars campaign, had, as of July, a punch list of 800 problems that must be solved before the first human mission launches. M ... Show More
49m 35s
Oct 2018
The Danger of Going to Mars
Many spacecraft have died trying to get to Mars. The current record for Mars missions is 18 successes, and 25 failures. The InSight mission hopes to improve the odds. 
19m 9s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami