Desperately seeking life on Mars

Humans appear to be obsessed with the idea of finding life on Mars and have latched on to any evidence—however improbable—that might support its existence. Charting the history of the often deceptive scientific (not to mention literary) findings made about Mars, this viewpoint suggests that our desire to find extraterrestrial life says more about the human need for companionship and communication than about the true past of the planet. Nevertheless, ESA's Mars Express should give us a better understanding of the true likelihood of life ever having existed there after its launch in 2003.