Jeffrey Marlow
@jjmarlow.bsky.social
Assistant Professor of Biology at Boston University ::: Science Journalist / Communicator ::: National Geographic Explorer
Getting Mars samples back to Earth would be transformative; as an astrobiologist, it's absolutely a (the?) top priority.
Our work on the Measurement Definition Team - led by Brandi Carrier from NASA and Elliot Sefton-Nash from ESA - was a key first step. Now we just need to make it a reality!
Our work on the Measurement Definition Team - led by Brandi Carrier from NASA and Elliot Sefton-Nash from ESA - was a key first step. Now we just need to make it a reality!
November 4, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Getting Mars samples back to Earth would be transformative; as an astrobiologist, it's absolutely a (the?) top priority.
Our work on the Measurement Definition Team - led by Brandi Carrier from NASA and Elliot Sefton-Nash from ESA - was a key first step. Now we just need to make it a reality!
Our work on the Measurement Definition Team - led by Brandi Carrier from NASA and Elliot Sefton-Nash from ESA - was a key first step. Now we just need to make it a reality!
Figuring out where hundreds of possible measurements fit across the spectrum of research value, time-sensitiveness, and destructiveness guided the thinking, which is now in final report form on Astrobiology! 👇
www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10....
www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10....
Mars Sample Return Sample Receiving Project Measurement Definition Team Final Report | Astrobiology
Astrobiology
www.liebertpub.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Figuring out where hundreds of possible measurements fit across the spectrum of research value, time-sensitiveness, and destructiveness guided the thinking, which is now in final report form on Astrobiology! 👇
www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10....
www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10....
As you might imagine, things got complicated real quick - our team of geologists, geochemists, and microbiologists all had great ideas of the major scientific questions these sample might answer. We sifted through what may be the most complicated excel spreadsheet the world has ever known 😂
November 4, 2025 at 10:41 AM
As you might imagine, things got complicated real quick - our team of geologists, geochemists, and microbiologists all had great ideas of the major scientific questions these sample might answer. We sifted through what may be the most complicated excel spreadsheet the world has ever known 😂
Congrats on the kiddo! But yes, we're also lagging far behind anything to do with farms and the process of going to bed... 😂
November 3, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Congrats on the kiddo! But yes, we're also lagging far behind anything to do with farms and the process of going to bed... 😂
(And if you want to re-live the tense negotiations when the final text came together, here's my report from a couple years ago!)
www.newyorker.com/news/daily-c...
www.newyorker.com/news/daily-c...
The Inside Story of the U.N. High Seas Treaty
A new global agreement protects marine life in parts of the ocean that laws have been unable to reach.
www.newyorker.com
September 20, 2025 at 6:30 PM
(And if you want to re-live the tense negotiations when the final text came together, here's my report from a couple years ago!)
www.newyorker.com/news/daily-c...
www.newyorker.com/news/daily-c...