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Is there life on Mars?

Is there life on Mars? A new book says don't count out the possibility.

I will be in fact amazed if absolutely no sign of past life is found on Mars.

It's Monday, October 7th, and you guessed it, today is Science Friday.

I'm Cyfry producer Kathleen. Friday.

I'm Cyfry producer Kathleen Davis.

One of the biggest questions of our time is about life elsewhere besides Earth. Does it exist? And if so, where is it? And how do we find it? That

question is at the center of a new book, written by Dr. Mario Livio, and it posits

an existential question.

If there is life out there, is Earth really as exceptional

as we've grown to believe?

Here's Ira Flato.

That question is at the center of a new book written by my guest. Mary Olivia is co-author with Jack Sostak of Is Earth Exceptional The quest for cosmic life.

Dr. Livio is an astrophysicist previously with the Space Telescope Science Institute

which operates the Hubble Space Telescope and he joins me from Hoboken, New Jersey.

Welcome back to the program.

Thank you very much for having me.

You're welcome.

All right, what do you mean by asking is Earth exceptional?

Well, the question is really, you know, we haven't found so far life

anywhere else other than Earth, and it's not for lack of trying to find. So you know the question is is life extremely rare and

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