Mad About Mars

Big Picture Science

Science, Technology

4.6 • 986 Ratings

🗓️ 13 October 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Long before Orson Welles provoked a panic with his 1938 radio broadcast of a Martian invasion in War of the Worlds, we were fascinated with the possibility of life on the Red Planet. We may be a step closer to finding it after the Perseverance rover turned up tantalizing evidence of possible ancient life in the form of mineral deposits in a Martian rock. But to be sure, we need to test that rock sample in a lab here on Earth, and the NASA Mars Sample Return Mission has been suspended. Still, our passion for our favorite inhabited world has not diminished. From the latest possible biosignature, to the supposed canals on Mars, to how the early 20th century Martian craze influenced vaudeville, we consider the many ways we are Mad About Mars. Guests: Janice Bishop – Senior research scientist at the SETI Institute. Adam Frank – Astrophysicist at the University of Rochester David Baron – Author of “The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn of the Century America” Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support! Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact [email protected] to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast.
0:04.7	Hi, Molly here.
0:06.3	And Seth.
0:07.3	2025 has been a year of big change in science funding, and big picture science has been
0:12.3	covering the implications for science policy, whether it's the National Oceanic and
0:17.6	atmospheric administration's ability to monitor hurricanes or the rollbacks at the EPA
0:23.3	or the cuts to research at the National Institutes of Health, all of which we've reported on
0:29.6	this year.
0:30.3	But we also continue to report on science discoveries, as you'll hear in this episode about
0:36.0	a Martian rock with some unusual mineral
0:38.9	deposits. Is it evidence of alien life? And will the cuts to NASA's budget hinder our ability
0:45.1	to bring that rock to Earth?
0:47.0	But speaking of funding, your funding can help support the independent journalism of
0:51.9	Big Picture Science if you join us on Patreon at patreon.com
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1:03.6	access to ad-free versions of each episode. Again, this is an easy way to skip those ads.
1:10.2	You can even get ad-free versions on your favorite podcast platforms, and you'll find a post about how to do that on our Patreon page.
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1:35.3	And thank you. It continues to be the public's favorite extraterrestrial world.
	...

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