In August 1996, scientists from NASA stunned the world with the announcement that an ancient meteorite that had plunged to Earth from Mars revealed evidence of primitive life. Though the search for extraterrestrial life has been one of mankind's greatest fascinations, this remarkable discovery represented the first real clue that life may have existed elsewhere in the universe.

Now, for the first time, Donald Goldsmith tells the complete story of this groundbreaking discovery in one of the greatest scientific detective stories of our time.

Goldsmith takes us step by step along the extraordinary path of scientific detection, from the Antarctic deep freeze to the barren plains of Mars to the high-tech labs where the Martian rock yielded its secrets. Examining the evidence from all points of view, he details the vast storm of controversy that the discovery set off and its shattering scientific and philosophical implications: How does Martian life appear to differ from Earth life? Could life have originated on Mars and then traveled to Earth?

Does the Martian discovery indicate that life may exist in other galaxies in the universe as well? Goldsmith also looks at the possibility of the existence of life on Mars today and the challenge of future missions headed for Martian landings in 1997, which may tell us more about the evolution of life on our closest neighbor in the solar system.