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Astronomers once wanted to know what the surface of the moon and Mars looked like. Now we’ve been to the moon and sent robots to Mars, so they have new and more complex problems to ponder, such as:

Are we Martians? Scientists now agree that life could survive the trip on an asteroid to Earth from Mars, and what look like microbes have been found on a meteorite. A rock from Mars hits the Earth about once a month, on average, so there was plenty of opportunity for life to have been seeded here. If we find life on Mars, and compare it to the most basic life forms here, it will help to answer the question. More questions below…
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Israeli and British forensic anthropologists and computer programmers have recreated what they think Jesus might have looked like. He has a broad face, dark olive skin, short curly hair and a large nose. The researchers think he would have weighed 110 pounds and been 5-foot-1-inch tall. Their evidence is reported in this month’s issue of Popular Mechanics magazine. “Using archaeological and anatomical science rather than artistic interpretation makes this the most accurate likeness ever created,” says TV reporter Jean Claude Gragard. “It isn’t the face of Jesus, because we’re not working with the skull of Jesus, but it is the departure point for considering what Jesus would have looked like.”
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Dr. Brigitte Boisselier of Clonaid has announced the world’s first cloned baby and Dr. Michael A. Guillen, former science editor at ABC News, says it’s his job “to put her claim to the test.” Guillen has a doctorate in theoretical physics, mathematics and astronomy from Cornell and once taught physics to undergraduates at Harvard. He’s regularly appeared on network news shows. And he’s one of the rare scientists and reporters who doesn’t automatically debunk reports about subjects such as astrology, remote viewing, remote healing and ESP. Philip Beuth, who hired Guillen for ABC 1988, says, “He won’t pull any punches, nor can he be bought, nor can he be compromised.”
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A rare Spix’s macaw has been returned to its home country of Brazil, in an attempt to revive the nearly-extinct species. Although the breed is protected by international treaties, it was probably smuggled into the U.S. from Brazil 25 years ago. There are only about a dozen inbred birds left in Brazil, so the newcomer can inject some genetic diversity into the remaining population, and perhaps prevent the species from becoming extinct.
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