Book review of ICAMSR Executive Director Barry E. DiGregorio's Discovery at Vera Rubin Ridge: Trace Fossils on Mars.

The Biological Big Bang: Panspermia and the Origins of Life

Assessment of NASA's Mars Architecture 2007-2016 — Committee to Review the Next Decade Mars Architecture, National Research Council

The first book review in the series is ICAMSR Executive Director Barry E. DiGregorio's Mars: The Living Planet. This highly readable "science story" examines the evidence for and against life on Mars today–specifically, microbial life, as sought by the biology experiments of the 1976 Viking Mission to Mars.

Fred Hoyle's and Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe's new book Astronomical Origins of Life - Steps Towards Panspermia. Two of the pioneers of the modern version of panspermia – the theory that comets disperse microbial life throughout the cosmos – trace the development of their ideas through a sequence of key papers. A logical progression of thought is shown to lead up to the currently accepted viewpoint that at least the biochemical building blocks of life must have derived from comets. The authors go further, however, to argue that not just the chemicals of life, but fully-fledged microbial cells have an origin that is external to the Earth. Such a theory of cosmic life, once established, would have profound scientific as well as sociological implications. The publication of this book is all the more timely now that we are on the threshold of verifying many of these ideas by direct space exploration of planets and comets.

Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe, panspermia's most outspoken scientist advocate, describes in his new book that extinction level events are not always the result of impacting celestrial bodies. Instead he suggests that possibility that these events are caused by microbes hitchhiking rides in cometary dust.

A History of Sterilization: Return to the Past to Interconnect to the Future - This 14 chapter, 168 page book is a valuable source of information that covers a wide variety of historical and contemporary sterilization themes including natural mass extinctions, prescientific and empiricism (e.g., mummification), scientific prevention of diseases, infections, food spoilage, and hygienic prophylaxis for planetary exploration and protection. Other subjects include antibiotic-resistant bacteria; and emerging pathogens, bloodborne pathogens, and pandemic mutations (e.g., COVID-19, influenzas mutation viruses).

The author examines some profound questions rarely mentioned in other books. For example, on page 186 the question is asked "What Would it Take to Completely Sterilize the Earth"? We read that even exploding stars, large asteroids and extreme irradiation probably would not wipe out all life as calculated by some astrobiologists. This calculation if correct, has important implications for the panspermia hypothesis and the origin of life in the universe. Other important questions explored in this book are: How do we help protect all life (not just human) on Earth against past, present, and future microbial and viral threats since we are all interconnected? These threats can range from deadly pathogens found or created (Gain of Function) in clean room laboratories (e.g. The Wu Han lab in China), ancient Lazarus microbes and viruses dug up in melting permafrost regions, glacial ice, or sequestered in salt (halide) crystals - all which when exposed to the contemporary atmosphere with elevated temperatures and available liquid water can be revived even after thousands to millions of years of laying in stasis including those samples returned to earth from Mars or other celestial objects such as comets asteroids or the icy moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn. Much remains unknown about invasive species on our earth let alone any from space and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the precautionary principal advocates for taking preventive measures even in the face of uncertainty or incomplete scientific understanding. This book has a wealth of information for the layman and professional alike and includes a full st of references making it a fine addition to any scientific library.

Wayne J. Rogers is a recognized expert in the field of sterilization science, particularly concerning medical devices and polymers. He obtained a BA & BS in Biology, Microbiology, Sterilization from California State University in 1968 - 1971. He worked as a Senior Engineer at Eli Lilly from Apr 1982 - Dec 1996 on Sterilization techniques, Material Safety (Biocompatibility) and Environmental (Control) Affairs. He also worked on manufacturing environmental legislation in Sacramento for Eli Lilly Companies in California.

Review of the MEPAG Report on Mars Special Regions (2015) - Planetary protection is a guiding principle in the design of an interplanetary mission, aiming to prevent biological contamination of both the target celestial body and the Earth. The protection of high-priority science goals, the search for life and the understanding of the Martian organic environment may be compromised if Earth microbes carried by spacecraft are grown and spread on Mars. This has led to the definition of Special Regions on Mars where strict planetary protection measures have to be applied before a spacecraft can enter these areas.

It is available as a free download to those that register with the National Academy Press.

On Mars: Exploration Of The Red Planet 1958-1978 (NASA SP-4212) is without doubt the most comprehensive history of the NASA Viking Mars missions. The book contains an absolutely amazing wealth of detailed information about the origin of the greatest planetary science mission in the history of science - project Viking. In this volume you will meet the engineers, technicians and scientists who played a major role in humanities first serach for life on Mars. This is mandatory reading for anyone who wishes to discuss the Viking mission intelligently. ICAMSR gives this historical masterpiece our highest possible recommendation.

The Martian Landscape (NASA SP-425) provides in depth information on the Viking Lander cameras and how they carried out their photographic missions that lasted an incredible 6 years on Martian surface. Included are scores of images from Viking Landers 1 and 2. All serious students of Mars should be familiar with this book.