‘Is it life? We can’t tell’: Nasa’s Curiosity rover finds organic molecules on Mars

Scientists think they are looking at chemical building blocks of life preserved for 3.5bn years…

 https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/21/nasa-curiosity-rover-finds-organic-molecules-mars

 

Exciting NASA news

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dNamy_cdMtc

 

Prospect of life on Saturn’s moons rises after discovery of organic substances

The new study, he added, proves that complex prebiotic molecules are coming from the subsurface ocean of Enceladus. "That means we now have all elements required for Enceladus to harbour life – liquid water, energy and complex prebiotic molecules," Helbert said. "This makes it so timely to send a mission that searches for signs of life."…

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/oct/01/prospect-life-saturn-moons-rises-discovery-organic-substances

 

Unusual compounds in rocks on Mars may be sign of ancient microbial life

"It's a signature. It's a sort of leftover sign. It's not life itself. And it certainly could have been from ancient life, and that would have been something that was there billions of years ago, nothing that's currently there," Dr Nicky Fox, associate administrator of Nasa's science mission directorate, told reporters...

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/sep/10/unusual-compounds-in-rocks-on-mars-may-be-sign-of-ancient-microbial-life

 

Online discussion event: Life and Death in Post-Roe America — ProPublica

On 11/21/2024 — sign up here — This virtual Q&A with reporters Kavitha Surana, Cassandra Jaramillo and Lizzie Presser, and with deputy managing editor Alexandra Zayas, will offer an inside look at ProPublica's reproductive health coverage and our "Post-Roe America" series, reporting on the tremendous upheaval caused by laws that restrict abortion access across the nation...

https://www.propublica.org/events/life-and-death-in-post-roe-america

PragerFU: Does Life Make Any Sense?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-K6XIvz_Ag

Groundbreaking chemist defines all of life in 2 words | Lee Cronin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gq-5qNekdo

Venus’ atmosphere reveals potential signs of life — again, scientists say | CNN

Scientists' current understanding of the atmospheric chemistry of Venus cannot explain the presence of phosphine, said Dr. Kate Pattle, a lecturer in the department of physics and astronomy at University College London. "It's important to note that the team behind the measurements of phosphine are not claiming to have found life on Venus," Pattle said in an email. "If phosphine is really present on Venus, it might indicate life, or might indicate that there is Venusian atmospheric chemistry that we do not yet understand."…

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/29/science/venus-gases-phosphine-ammonia/index.html

Cruz seeks to blunt Democratic attacks with IVF bill | The Hill

But Cruz did not answer a question about whether he thinks an IVF-created embryo is a human life…https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4678173-cruz-ivf-bill-democratic-attacks/

Democrats seize on a GOP budget proposal that would raise Social Security retirement age - The Washington Post

To resolve the solvency issue, the RSC touts its budget plan as "common-sense, incremental reforms" that "will simply buy Congress time to come together and negotiate policies that can secure Social Security solvency for decades to come." 

But Rep. Brendan Boyle (Pa.), the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, characterized the proposed changes in a statement as an attack on seniors, veterans and the middle class that would end Medicare "as we know it" and make "devastating cuts that would raise the cost of living for working families." 

 The RSC proposal also endorses several bills "designed to advance the cause of life," such as the Life at Conception Act, which has 126 co-sponsors in the House. The legislation would provide legal protections "at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization." The endorsement of the bill from the committee comes weeks after Republicans attempted to quell concerns about whether the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade would lead to restrictions on reproductive treatments such as IVF...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/21/republican-budget-retirement-ivf/

Opinion | Why ‘Life Begins at Conception’ Is Less Christian Than You Think - POLITICO

There is no denying the political utility of the idea that life begins at conception. Since the 1970s, it has served to unite many Protestants and Catholics in a reproductive alliance bent on protecting the "sanctity of life" that has also provided millions of base voters for the Republican Party. 

However, since the fall of Roe, it is clear that the logic of the movement is headed in a direction that will cause problems both theologically and politically. Once they understand the implications for IVF, birth control and even on abortions in extenuating circumstances, many Protestants, including evangelicals and charismatics, might want to reconsider whether they really want to make the theological case for extending personhood to embryos. Catholic theology not only insists that life begins at conception but also outlaws reproductive technologies, birth control and the death penalty. Up until this point in history, many Protestants haven't been willing to go there — are they now?…

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/03/21/life-conception-christian-theology-00147804

Abortion: Is a Fetus a Human Being? Does Life Begin At Fertilization? | George Carlin

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IehHlR4BpAk

Synthetic human embryos let researchers study early development while sidestepping ethical and logistical hurdles

Key to progress in the field of synthetic embryology is unwavering adherence to ethical standards and regulation. Crucially, these embryo models are neither synthetic nor actual embryos. The International Society for Stem Cell Research strictly prohibits transferring these embryo models into the uterus of a human or an animal. Although these models mimic certain features of early developmental stages, they cannot and will not develop into the equivalent of a human baby after birth. Grounding research in solid justifications and oversight will help ensure that scientific exploration into the fabric of life is conducted with the utmost respect and responsibility....

https://theconversation.com/synthetic-human-embryos-let-researchers-study-early-development-while-sidestepping-ethical-and-logistical-hurdles-214186

Finding Alien Life on Mars Is a Better Possibility Than We Thought

A new study shows that any living critters hanging out on the Red Planet are probably taking refuge just below the surface...

https://www.thedailybeast.com/finding-alien-life-on-mars-is-a-better-possibility-than-we-thought

Life on Earth might have formed out of thin air and water | Popular Science

"This is essentially the chemistry behind the origin of life," Graham Cooks, an author of the study and professor of analytical chemistry at Purdue, said in a press release. "This is the first demonstration that primordial molecules, simple amino acids, spontaneously form peptides, the building blocks of life, in droplets of pure water. This is a dramatic discovery."

https://www.popsci.com/science/water-peptide-life-earth/

Life on Mars: What if NASA actually finds it? - Vox

If there was life on Mars billions of years ago — even just microbial life — it could change our understanding of how life begins...

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2022/6/29/23171032/mars-nasa-perserverance-search-for-life-luca

Major religions have a range of views on when life begins : NPR

"In Judaism, life and breath are essentially the same thing," she said. "So in Judaism, life begins when you take your first breath."…
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/08/1097274169/when-does-life-begin-religions-dont-agree

Opinion | Republicans don’t disguise their indifference to human life - The Washington Post

… The more Republicans talk, the more obvious it becomes that life is not the issue. This is about control of women who do not warrant the same right to bodily integrity Republicans claim for themselves...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/06/republicans-do-not-disguise-their-indifference-to-human-life/

Redo of a Famous Experiment on the Origins of Life Reveals Critical Detail Missed for Decades - Scientific American

…They found that teflon produced very few organic compounds. There were more compounds in the teflon with glass pieces. But the glass container, by far, created the greatest number and largest variety of organic molecules...

https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/redo-of-a-famous-experiment-on-the-origins-of-life-reveals-critical-detail-missed-for-decades/

Elucidating the Agenda of James Tour: A Defense of Abiogenesis

The origin of life! How did we get here? How did the first living organism come about? Can it have happened spontaneously? Isn't life way too complex for that to happen? It seems ridiculous, right? Well, no. Not if you understand biochemistry, which creationists do not. But every once in a while, a hero emerges from academia to champion the cause of the creationist, and lend some illusory credence to their views. In this case, that hero is James Tour, a synthetic organic chemist who insists that abiogenesis is impossible, and he should know better than anyone, because he's a chemist. I was made aware of Dr. Tour after a couple hundred people linked me to a video of his in an empty argument from authority, insisting that because a chemist confirms their religious bias, they must be right. But is Dr. Tour a bit biased himself? Let's find out precisely what his agenda is, shall we?
https://youtu.be/SixyZ7DkSjA