What Might Life on Mars Look Like? Drs Duhamel and Hamilton Explore This Topic!

Finding LIfe on Mars!

Dr. Solange Duhamel (Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology) and Dr Christopher Hamilton (Lunar and Planetory Laboratory), based at the University of Arizona, recently wrote an article "How microbes in Iceland can teach us about possible life on Mars" for Futurum Careers, a free online resource and magazine aimed at encouraging 14-19-year-olds worldwide to pursue careers in science, tech, engineering, maths, medicine (STEM) and research. We work with academics all over the world and translate their research into free education resources that can be used in the classroom, at home and in STEM and STEAM (science, tech, engineering, arts, social sciences, humanities and maths) clubs.

This is a terrific resource for MCB students and high school students interested in STEM and STEAM careers! 

In their article, Drs Duhamel and Hamilton write about how their collaboration as an oceanagrapher and planetary scientist worked when they explored how life could survive on Mars! They explain the connection between oceans and space and how life in these two extreme environments give us clues about what life on Mars might look like.

They have been in Iceland since January of 2021 doing their research and have most recently been monitoring the site on an ongoing earthquake swarm in Iceland for a possible eruption. They will be in Iceland until August 2021 gathering data and will return to the University of Arizona.