Mars on Earth

Chile's Atacama Desert is the most arid wasteland on Earth; some regions go years without a single drop of rain. That makes it a perfect laboratory for studying conditions on Mars. One project, for example, is studying the coatings on rocks found in the Atacama and other deserts for evidence of life. Similar coatings may have been seen on some rocks on Mars, suggesting that the rocks could be targets for future hunts for microscopic life on Mars. [Kim Kuhlman]