The rock was a meteorite, designated ALH84001, collected in the Allen Hills region of Antarctica. A major asteroid impact knocked it off the surface of Mars 16 million years ago; 13,000 years ago it intersected Earth's orbit, and fell onto Antarctica; in 1984 its small black potato shape was spotted during a NASA sampling project. Then microscopic examination spotted ovoid and elongated shapes in and on carbonate deposits inside ALH84001, similar to certain types of bacteria found in deep bore holes.

Life on Mars!

Well, possibly.

After all the fuss died down, closer examination suggested that the fossil 'bacteria' might be no more inorganic crystalline deposits, and that the organic deposits in ALH84001 might be due to contamination after the meteorite hit the Antarctic icecap.

The jury is still out.

But suppose that there once was life on Mars. Four billion years ago, inner solar system bodies, including Mars, were undergoing intense meteoritic bombardment. Perhaps at that time many life-bearing Martian meteorites fell to Earth. Perhaps that life flourished here, while life on Mars retreated to a last stronghold. What would happen if, four billion years later, astronauts brought back Martian life which shares a common ancestor with life on Earth?

That was the seed of The Secret of Life, told from the point of view of a scientist who has chosen to work outside the mainstream of the scientific establishment. I know a little bit about scientists and their culture -- I was a research scientist for more than twenty years before I became a full-time writer -- and it has always seemed to me that this important segment of human endeavour has been under- represented in fiction. The novel is set a little way into the future, and travels to Mars and back, but every bit of it is as real as I could make it. I hope you enjoy the ride. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.