Mars and Life
Timely note to readers seeking information on Mars.
Homeokinetic physics has been concerned with solar systems, the possible evolution of planets possessing a combination of atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, rich internal and external processes such as convective motions that produce a rich sedimentized surface chemistry that can result in life. We have been pursuing parts of such studies since the 1950s for various Government agencies, e.g., the entire planetary hydrological cycle and how it connects with the meteorological cycle to drive surface chemistry (for water quality, for pollution control, for aviation and space sciences, for military purposes, for biophysical and biomedical programs, for resource management). Since 1980, with NASA support, we began on the interaction of all six systems, the three named, the geochemical planet, the biochemical planet, with the sixth being modern humanity and its social processes of urbanization for the past 10,000 years. We also began on the explanation for the planet’s internal processes, e.g., their radioactive nucleosynthetic processes that tend to drive the internal planetary heating that in fact are required to make life possible.
That work reached a point, a few years ago, at which it could make a scientific prognosis of the questions that have to be answered to understand the complete process leading to life, its beginning, its operational middle, and its end. We proposed the use of either laboratories on Earth as the test environment for those ideas, long space voyages possibly conducted by NASA, or the history of Mars in a second round of exploration and observation post the earlier Viking mission as a test bed. It is less than coincidental that a second round of Mars landing and observing has been started by NASA. We expressed that thought in a paper in Geomicrobiological Journal 9, 51, 1992, “Mineral remains of early life on Earth? On Mars?” The student who wants real enrichment into the problem of such evolutionary processes and what might be expected from the unfolding Mars story would do well to purchase our book. It is not out of date.
A. Iberall, D. Wilkinson, D. White Foundations for Social and Biological Evolution
The authors are all with UC affiliations. The book is equally rich in its geological, biological, and social theoretic. It covers a tremendous range of subject matter of a scientific nature. It is meant for serious study. It is also rich in collateral references up to the date of its publication. In the light of the current explosion of interest in Mars, we believe it appropriate to make this announcement.