DESTINATION MARS

EXPLORING THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN SPACE AND BIOTECH, WHAT IF THE MOST EXTREME ENVIRONMENT ON THE RED PLANET NEXT DOOR IS ACTUALLY A CATALYST FOR SOLVING CHALLENGES ON EARTH? SCIENTIST TIFFANY VORA HAS IT ALL WORKED OUT.

- By Tiana Cline

The concept of Mars as ‘Plan B’ is intriguing.

It's something renowned American physicist Michio Kaku said years ago, adding that the dinosaurs didn't have a space program, which is why they're not here today. For many, the idea of going to Mars is far more than space exploration-it's a backup plan for humanity. Yet there are others who believe that establishing a self-sustaining colony on Mars is a fantasy. And, more practically, why do we spend trillions on lunar exploration and the Red Planet when Earth has dire climate challenges we need to solve?

"We don't have to make a choice. We have the creativity, resources and passion to do both," says Dr Tiffany Vora, a molecular biologist by training. She's also a nonresident senior fellow at the GeoTech Center for the American think-tank Atlantic Council, the Vice Chair of Digital Biology and Medicine at Singularity University and the Vice President of Innovation Partnerships for Explore Mars, a nonprofit looking to see a sustainable presence on Mars and beyond in the 2030s.

For Vora, the problems scientists are trying to solve to get us on Mars are the same as those on Earth.

Mars is just a more extreme version of that. It isn't just a distant planet but rather an extreme testing ground for solving Earth's most pressing challenges.