Penelope Boston: There might just be life on Mars

The speaker discusses their work in extreme environments, particularly caves, and their implications for finding life on other planets like Mars and Europa. They share their personal journey inspired by the Sputnik launch and emphasize the importance of transitioning to a solar system-going civilization. The talk covers the challenges of finding extraterrestrial life, the potential of cave environments, and the development of robotic tools for exploration. The speaker also highlights the possibility of using caves on Mars and the Moon as future habitats.

What environments did the speaker work in while searching for exotic life forms?

What significant shift occurred in the speaker's research focus about a dozen years ago?

What are the intrinsic values of the biology and mineralogy studied in extreme environments?

What is the speaker's perspective on the future of humanity in relation to Mars and the Moon?

How did the launch of Sputnik influence the speaker's career path?

What challenges does the speaker mention regarding the search for life on Mars?

What evidence suggests that there may have been life on Mars in the past?

What are Snottites and how do they relate to the biology found in extreme environments?

What potential do sub-surface organisms on Earth have for pharmaceutical and industrial uses?

What future applications does the speaker envision for lava-tube caves on Mars?