Sleeping Mars, simple life forms and satellite-borne remote sensing system

Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Abodes - Is Mars dead, or is it only sleeping? There is evidence, like vast, dried up riverbeds, that Mars once was a warm and wet world that could have supported life. Are the best times over, at least for life, on Mars? See article. For related story, see "APL Mineral-Mapper Has Key Role in Selecting Next Mars Rover Landing Site."
g Life - Simple life forms are turning up in a surprising variety of below-ground environments, potentially making up 50 percent of the Earth's biomass. See article. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus - Scientists at The University of Arizona will build a prototype instrument to demonstrate their revolutionary idea for a satellite-borne remote sensing system. It will measure water vapor, temperature and ozone anywhere over the globe with unprecedented vertical resolution and accuracy. See article.
g Imagining - Here’s a neat Web site: The Exorarium. At the Exorarium, visitors get a chance to mix and match the same ingredients that brought about human life, shaping their own unique intelligent life forms. For example, you might start with a hot or cool star, a heavy or light planet, one with lots of water or a desert world, and so on – until a unique ecosystem takes shape before your eyes … a family tree leading to the ultimate outcome, a species of intelligent life. See article.