Mars 2020 mission to use smart methods to seek signs of past life
(PHYSorg.com Space & Earth)

NASA`s Mars 2020 mission, which will look for signs of past life on Mars, will use smart methods originally developed to find the oldest life on Earth, according the mission`s Deputy Project Scientist, Dr Ken Williford. The 2020 mission builds on the successes of prior rovers, to make coordinated measurements that could detect signs of ancient life - or biosignatures - in their original spatial context. These techniques, known as `spatially resolved biosignature analysis` derive from geochemical analysis of early life on Earth.