title: Why biologists should support the exploration of Mars.
abstract: Physicists, chemists and geologists in the USA and Europe propose that the search for extraterrestrial life is an important justification for the exploration of Mars. Biologists, however, much more excited by the advent of the postgenome sequencing era, in general display little enthusiasm for planetary exploration. We argue that the search for traces of life on Mars represents a major thought-provoking challenge for the life sciences that should be taken up by the biological community.
authors.affiliation: Institut Jacques Monod, "Biochimie de l'Evolution et Adaptabilité Moléculaire", Paris, France.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Maurel
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zaccai
mesh_terms: D001695:Biology; D018535:Mars; D012109:Research Support as Topic; D013026:Space Flight