This Week in Space 196: Becoming Martian!

Date: February 6, 2026
Host: Rod Pyle, Tarek Malik
Guest: Dr. Scott Solomon (Rice University, author of "Becoming Martian")

Overview

This episode dives deep into the question: What does it truly take for humanity to become Martian? Hosts Rod Pyle and Tarek Malik are joined by Dr. Scott Solomon, evolutionary biologist and author of "Becoming Martian." Together, they explore the biological, ethical, and social challenges of long-term human settlement on Mars, as well as the evolution of human life beyond Earth. The discussion is punctuated with cutting-edge news from space exploration, science-inspired banter, and thoughtful speculation grounded in both scientific research and science fiction.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Space News Rundown (Starts ~02:19)

Artemis 2 Delayed—Persistent Hydrogen Leaks

• Artemis 2's launch to the Moon was pushed back due to recurring hydrogen leaks discovered during fueling tests.
• NASA faced similar issues with Artemis 1 three years prior, raising frustration about unresolved technical challenges.
• Cold weather and potential disruptions during the 12-hour, 4-mile rollout may have contributed to the leaks.
• Current estimate: Launch postponed to no earlier than March 6, 2026.
  "They've had just over three years to fix this issue, and then they saw it happen again... they're pretty frustrated." – Tarek Malik (04:03)

Perseverance Rover—AI Drives on Mars

• NASA’s Perseverance rover conducted its first AI-powered traverse, allowing autonomous, intelligent navigation on Mars.
• Previous generations (Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity) required step-by-step planning and input from Earth. Perseverance can now plan and execute routes on its own, increasing mission efficiency.
• The technology is limited by radiation-hardened, outdated processors on the rover but marks a breakthrough for planetary exploration.
• "This was an entire traverse that was planned by the AI and then executed by the AI... it'll be very interesting to see how this goes." – Tarek Malik (06:00; 08:42)

Human Reproduction in Space—A "Hot Topic"

• Recent research emphasizes the urgent need to understand if and how human reproduction is possible in space environments before committing to long-term settlements.
• Ethical, biological, and practical challenges abound, and existing studies are sparse, especially for humans and other mammals.
• "It's not just the physical part—can we procreate in space? There are a lot of questions beyond that." – Tarek Malik (10:30)

2. Interview with Dr. Scott Solomon (~16:48)

A Unique Path to Space Biology

• Dr. Solomon explains his journey from evolutionary biology (and studying ants!) to exploring human adaptation and evolution in space.
• He was drawn into space studies through student curiosity about ongoing human evolution, leading to his books "Future Humans" and now "Becoming Martian."
• "If we left Earth and were living somewhere else, that would put us on this very different trajectory, no pun intended..." – Dr. Scott Solomon (19:11)

The Harsh Reality of Space for Human Biology

• Earth's environment is uniquely suited for us—gravity, atmosphere, magnetic protection from radiation—all absent or diminished elsewhere.
• Microgravity leads to muscle atrophy, weaker bones, fluid shifts (causing vision changes), and increased exposure to cosmic radiation beyond Earth's magnetosphere.
• Our data is robust for microgravity (weightlessness) but extremely limited for partial gravity (Moon: ~16%, Mars: ~38% of Earth's gravity).
• “We know about 1G, we know about 0G, but we don’t know much about what happens in between those two. That’s a big question.” – Dr. Scott Solomon (29:36)

Unknowns of Reproduction and Generational Survival in Space

• The key showstopper for multi-generational colonies is reproduction—no successful, long-term mammalian studies have been done in space or simulated partial gravity.
• Early studies explore rodents, but comprehensive human studies are lacking due to ethical complexities.
• Projects (like Spaceborne United in the Netherlands) aim to test in vitro fertilization under partial gravity using animal models first.
• “Every step of the process ... is something that we still don't have enough information about, starting with sex itself and going all the way through child development.” – Dr. Scott Solomon (33:48)

Ethics and Methodology of Space Biology Research

• Ethical constraints are major. The recommended path is to start with animal models (fish, rodents), then move to human samples (e.g., embryos), only ensuring safety at each step.
• "Is it ethical, this research?... Only once there’s good evidence that what you’re doing isn’t causing harm... then you could perhaps proceed." – Dr. Scott Solomon (37:36)

Creating a Martian Ecosystem—Lessons from Biosphere 2 and Ant Colonies (!)

• Replicating Earth's ecosystems is profoundly complex. Ant colonies in Biosphere 2 highlighted how one species can destabilize a closed system.
• We don’t fully understand the ecosystem interdependencies, making it risky to reproduce them elsewhere.
• "We don't understand these ecosystems on Earth in a way that would allow us to break them down and rebuild them..." – Dr. Scott Solomon (43:44)

Biological Adaptation vs. Technological Adaptation

• There’s a tension between modifying ourselves (through gene editing or natural selection) vs. modifying the alien environment (terraforming, habitat engineering).
• The "founder effect" asserts that even in idealized, terraformed environments, evolutionary divergence will occur simply due to genetic sampling and isolation.
• “If you go to the islands in space that we call planets ... we should expect that we would evolve and change too.” – Dr. Scott Solomon (47:42)

Infectious Disease – The Hidden Risk

• Pathogen exposure and immune response in isolated Martian populations could be dire. Children born off-Earth might lack resistance to Earth-borne microbes, making return hazardous.
• "What happens to the immune system of a child born on Mars... if that kid tried to come back to Earth, the average bacteria in the dirt is likely to be dangerous." – Dr. Scott Solomon (53:32)

Genetic Diversity and the "Africa Advantage"

• Greater genetic diversity in Mars settlers increases survival odds. Africa, as the cradle of Homo sapiens, houses more human diversity than the rest of the world combined.
• “You do pretty well by just selecting Africans to be the founders... but you want a huge representation from the continent of Africa to set us up for success.” – Dr. Scott Solomon (57:07)

The Future Post-Human Identity

• Over generations, Martian-born humans will become biologically and psychologically distinct—a new chapter for humanity.
• Radiation, mutation rates, isolation, and adaptation will accelerate this divergence, creating perhaps “Martians” in fact as well as in name.
• "I think we would expect there to be rapid cultural change, societal change. And I think people would start to view themselves as being different from folks on Earth." – Dr. Scott Solomon (59:01)

Star Trek or The Expanse?

• Dr. Solomon hopes for a Star Trek-like future—peaceful exploration and scientific collaboration—but warns we may simply export human conflict to new worlds.
• “I hope it’s the peaceful Star Trek version... and not to fight and not to take all that stuff with us.” – Dr. Scott Solomon (61:47)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the difficulty of replicating Earth in space:
  “We don't understand these ecosystems on Earth in a way that would allow us to break them down and rebuild them.”
  — Dr. Scott Solomon (43:44)

• On diversity in founding populations:
  “There’s more human genetic diversity within the continent of Africa than in the rest of the world combined. It’s kind of remarkable.”
  — Dr. Scott Solomon (57:07)

• On evolution in space:
  “If we leave Earth with the intention of staying... it’s not really possible to go into a new environment like that and over many generations remain the same.”
  — Dr. Scott Solomon (47:42)

• On becoming Martian:
  “Biologically, I think there’s also reason to expect that there would be a lot of change quite quickly ... I think people would start to view themselves as being different from folks on Earth.”
  — Dr. Scott Solomon (59:01)

• On epidemic dangers:
  “If that kid tried to come back to Earth, the average bacteria in the dirt is likely to be dangerous.”
  — Dr. Scott Solomon (53:32)

• On the unknowns of space life:
  “All of the research has been done on healthy adults ... what does partial gravity do to a child’s growth and development?”
  — Dr. Scott Solomon (34:21)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• Opening News and Updates: 00:00–12:34
  • Artemis 2 (03:03–05:24)
  • Perseverance & AI on Mars (06:00–10:05)
  • Study on Space Reproduction (10:05–12:17)
• Interview with Dr. Scott Solomon: 16:48–64:43
  • Path to space biology (18:01–22:36)
  • Human adaptability & evolution (24:40–29:36)
  • Effects of partial gravity (29:36–32:41)
  • Reproduction & ethics (33:48–39:44)
  • Ecosystem complexity & ants (41:05–44:43)
  • Pathogens and immune response (53:32–55:14)
  • Genetic diversity (57:07–58:12)
  • Post-human Martians? (59:01–61:01)
  • Star Trek vs The Expanse (61:01–61:59)
• Closing Plugs & Farewell: 62:00–64:43

Final Thoughts

This episode is a compelling, sometimes humorous, often sobering tour through the cutting-edge science and open questions surrounding Martian settlement. The exploration is grounded in evolutionary biology and informed speculation, pushing beyond the sci-fi tropes towards the real dilemmas and wonders awaiting humanity as we become an interplanetary species.

Find Dr. Scott Solomon’s "Becoming Martian" on Amazon or your local bookstore. Connect with him online at Solomon Rice.edu.

Summary prepared for listeners of "This Week in Space" Ep. 196.