Space & PhysicsEndangeredOther explanations now appear more likely than Martian bacteriaBy W. Wayt Gibbs on April 1, 1998Advertisement Rights & Permissions ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)W. Wayt Gibbs is a contributing editor for Scientific American based in Seattle. He also works as a scientific editor at Intellectual Ventures. Credit: Nick HigginsRecent Articles by W. Wayt GibbsDivide and Conquer Could Be Good COVID StrategyBread Science: A Yeasty ConversationCOVID-19 Vaccine Ethics: Who Gets It First and Other Issues