New Age of Exploration in the Hunt for Extreme Life

New Age of Exploration in the Hunt for Extreme Life

A two-billion-dollar robot scoops up pale-red samples on the surface of Mars to search for chemical clues in the powdery grains of the alien soil. At the same time, British scientists brave a notoriously windswept plain in Antarctica to investigate an ancient lake lying hidden beneath the ice-sheet.

The two missions are exploring different planets but they share a similar aim: to understand the limits of life, one of the most fascinating questions in modern science.