Marc Kaufman

Contributing Writer

Marc is a former contributor to Space.com in the fields of Mars Rovers, Earth Science, and Search For Life. He is the founder of the NASA-sponsored online column named Many Worlds, where he writes about astrobiology, space, science, and exoplanets. Additionally, Marc is the author of two books about space: “Mars Up Close: Inside the Curiosity Mission” and “First Contact: Scientific Breakthroughs in the Search for Life Beyond Earth.” An experienced journalist, Marc also spent three decades at The Washington Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Latest articles by Marc Kaufman

A "fossil" natural nuclear reactor site in the Okio region of Gabon. The large uranium deposit present underwent nuclear fission on and off for hundreds of thousands of years some 2 billion years ago. The yellow rock is uranium oxide.

Water Can Be Corrosive To Life, So What About Alternative Solvents?

By Marc Kaufman published

Chemicals that eventually formed the very first organisms on Earth may have relied on a liquid solvent other than water.

Search for Life
Biogeochemist Yuichiro Ueno

Research Center a Hub for Origins of Life Studies

By Marc Kaufman published

The Earth-Life Science Institute in Japan is a place where scientists are trying to maximize international collaboration in order to figure out how life formed on Earth.

Search for Life
Curiosity rover selfie, mars mission

Curiosity Rover's Critics are Missing the Point (Op-Ed)

By Marc Kaufman published

Curiosity is leading, not "lacking."

Mars Rovers
Artist’s concept depicts the NASA Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, a nuclear-powered mobile robot for investigating the Red Planet’s past or present ability to sustain microbial life.

Mars Rover Curiosity Will Hunt for Life's Building Blocks

By Marc Kaufman published

The 1-ton rover carries gear that can identify carbon-containing organic compounds.

Mars Rovers
Digging for Worms Deep Below Earth's Surface

Hunting for 'Worms From Hell': One Reporter's Journey

By Marc Kaufman published

Gaetan Borgonie, a nematode specialist, went on a quest deep below the Earth’s surface.

Earth