While Curiosity is off snapping photos of everything it finds on the surface of Mars (including itself), another NASA project aims to be a little more selective in its search. The latest version of their robot prototype Zoë, named after the Greek word for life, can drill through soil and analyze both the mineralogical and biological composition of whatever it scoops up. Unlike Curiosity, which usually says "life
could havebeen supported here," Zoë can more assertively say, "life is right here in front of us." The robot is currently testing its life-detecting abilities by trawling across the harsh environment of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile.
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